Holyfield Mum On Banning Champ’s Guards Snuff Parade When Crowd Gets Enthusiastic

Evander Holyfield raised his eyebrows, pursed his lips and uttered a simple “No comment.”

The heavyweight champion, getting ready to leave for a flight tonight, had just been told that Nevada boxing authorities had revoked Mike Tyson’s boxing license and fined him $3 million for biting Holyfield’s ears during last month’s title rematch.

Later, at the airport, Holyfield and his entourage brushed past waiting reporters, again insisting he had nothing to say.

Holyfield didn’t have to say much. His attorney made his position clear to the boxing commission: Tyson should be handed the maximum penalty to send a message that boxing adheres to its rules and regulations and that no fighter is more important than the sport.

Holyfield earlier received a rousing welcome in South Africa’s boxing capital and told a news conference that Tyson must gain control of his life, regardless of the decision.

“Attitude is what causes us to fail,” Holyfield said, repeating a theme of his five-day visit to South Africa that started Sunday. “If you can control your emotions, you can control a lot of things. That’s what I’d tell Tyson.”

His wife, Janice, said Tyson “needs to get help, to be in control of his anger.” Both Holyfield and his wife said they had forgiven Tyson,

East London was the third stop on Holyfield’s itinerary, and the city renowned for producing some of the nation’s top boxers welcomed the champion a bit too robustly for his U.S. security guards. A parade down a main street was aborted when a crowd of several thousand fans rushed the open pickup truck carrying Holyfield.

Deputy Mayor Des Halley complained the foreign security guards overreacted, probably because they weren’t used to the exuberant street celebrations of Africa.