Boxing Officials, Lawmakers Get Ready To Rumble
Tyson followup
An “honor system”, not a federal law, would keep Mike Tyson from fighting anywhere in the U.S. if he is suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
If the honor system holds up and he wants to fight in another country, he has to persuade the Indiana judge that sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a beauty pageant contestant to let him leave the U.S.
Nevada officials are expected to rule Tuesday on Tyson’s punishment for biting Evander Holyfield in Saturday’s heavyweight championship fight, tearing off a piece of his right ear.
The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996, a federal law that took effect yesterday, only requires states to honor health and safety-based suspensions, said Paul Feeney, a spokesman for Sen. John McCain, who sponsored the law. Tyson’s penalty wouldn’t be covered by the letter of the law.
“Is it in writing? No,” said Gwenn Lee, a spokeswoman for the New York State Athletic Commission. “Letting him fight would violate the spirit of the law. It’s an honor system, and a strong one at that.”
Even without a law, other commissions likely would enforce the Nevada ruling, said Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada commission.
“I believe that no matter what the Nevada commission does, the other states will honor it,” Ratner said.
Tyson could face lifetime ban
Tyson might be better off leaving his lawyers and handlers at home when Nevada boxing regulators meet to determine his fate.
The chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said Wednesday there’s only one person who can explain what happened in the ring that night - Tyson himself.
“I really think there’s only one guy who has to justify his actions in the ring and that’s Mike Tyson,” Dr. Elias Ghanem said. “I don’t want to press anything and tell him he has to show up, but we are really talking about Mike Tyson here.”
Tyson was expected to sign papers allowing the commission to go ahead with a meeting next week where he could face a lifetime ban from boxing along with a $3 million fine.
Tyson has said he will not fight the sanctions, but pleaded earlier this week to be allowed to box again and not be banned for life.
If Tyson’s license were revoked, he would have to wait at least a year before reapplying, but the commission has the authority to make that even longer. A suspension could be up to five years with a maximum fine of $250,000.
Nevada Senate approves bill
The Nevada Senate moved quickly Wednesday to approve a bill that would let the Nevada Athletic Commission seize all of a boxer’s purse for biting opponents or other foul behavior.
The money would go to a fund for abused and neglected children.
Lawmakers said they were shocked by Mike Tyson’s ear-biting attack on Evander Holyfield. Once they determined they had jurisdiction over the penalties, they endorsed harsh sanctions on boxers who behave in an unsportsmanlike manner.
Two of the 21 senators voted against the measure.
xxxx KING COULD GET BITTEN Mike Tyson may have taken a $15 million bite out of boxing promoter Don King’s wallet. Tyson is expected to learn next week whether he’ll be suspended from the sport for more than a year, forever or at all after he bit heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield on the ears in a fight Saturday at the MGM Grand Inc.’s Las Vegas hotel. King stands to get $15 million if Tyson has one more fight under a March 15 contract signed with the casino company. If Tyson is banned from boxing for life, King may not receive any further payments from MGM Grand, the company’s chief financial officer said. “The contract has provisions that protect MGM Grand if that unfortunate occurrence were to happen,” said the casino company’s CFO Alex Yemenidjian.