Mike Tyson, Las Vegas Sun

In its 4-1 ruling, the members of the panel came to the same conclusion that anyone in America with an IQ over 70 came to years ago; that being Tyson (pictured, right) was unable to keep his emotions in check for more than a few minutes at a time. The fact that Tyson and his menagerie mixed it up with Lennox Lewis and his crew at a press conference in New York last week while promoting the upcoming bout only further evidences the fact that Tyson is not a true fighter, but rather a brutish thug who uses his ‘so-called skill’ in brutalizing and terrorizing others. Unable to get what he wants the way civilized people do – by asking politely and by working and playing well with others, he resorts to violence, threats and intimidation.

Tyson with his lawyers

The funny thing about the hearing as Tyson applied for his license was that his lawyers (left, with their client) sensed that he was not going to get the license he needed and as such, sough to withdraw their application, knowing a denial in Nevada would make it more difficult for Tyson to get licensed for the fight in either New York or New Jersey. The Nevada Boxing Commission denied both motions by Tyson’s lawyers – the first one to withdraw the application as well as the one to license (or sanction) the match.

In two previous columns written on this animal (Tyson) by this writer, a clear trend has been documented that Tyson is not a gentleman by any means. In response to the last article – written last week, one reader wrote and suggested that given that I suffer from mental illness myself (I have bipolar disorder as does Tyson – reportedly), that I was slow to forgive and all too quick to blame, when such is not the case by any means. The fact of the matter is that I take my medication religiously, keep myself continuously educated on the latest in medication and research, and seek to educate others when the opportunity arises so as to help reduce and eventually remove the stigma that is so often unfairly attached to those who have illnesses over which they have no control.

I also informed this young man who wrote me that Tyson also has a yellow sheet dating back to 1978 when he was arrested for purse snatching in Brooklyn. From there, he went on to eventually commit a Class A felony with the rape of Desiree Washington in Indiana in 1991, a crime for which he served three years of a 10-year sentence. He is also later sentenced to a one-year in jail in Maryland for a severe case of road rage (is anything with ‘Iron Mike’ less than severe?), of which he served only 3½ months. Rest assured, as I said in the last article, had this been Joe Lunchbox (i.e., you or I), we would have had to serve at least eight months before being eligible for release – but with Tyson being a so-called ‘celebrity’, he gets away with that kind of crap.

Given the history of difficulties Tyson has had in behaving responsibly since his release from prison in 1995 and taking into consideration the sanctions by the various boxing associations for various and sundry infractions, perhaps it would be well for Tyson to be banned from boxing altogether. The man is not a boxer; he is not a sportsman, nor is he an athlete of any kind. Men and women who are athletes and sportsmen and women practice and abide by certain rules and codes of honor, conduct and ethics as well as a sense of fair play – qualities that are completely lacking in Mike Tyson. It is for that reason that Tyson should be banned from the sport permanently and forever.

I recently read an older edition of a boxing magazine about how Desiree Washington was a “gold-digging money grabber”. That is simply not true. Miss Washington was the victim of a horrific crime – a Class A felony – a crime which until the 1960’s was punishable by death in some states and which, in my opinion, should still be punishable by a trip to the death chamber, as that is the forcible taking of something that can never be returned.

As I said in the last column, I will say it again word for word, as it merits repetition:

Simply put, Tyson is an animal – an uncaged beast, and animals like that need to be put away from the population at large for their safety and that of society at large – permanently. Granted, that may be at the expense of Mr. Tyson’s rights, but we need to consider the greater good and the larger picture here and in the scheme of things, having Tyson out of the picture will allow a lot of women the ability to breather easier knowing there is one less predator out there who could make their life a living hell.

Clearly, Tyson has got to go, and nowhere has that been more clearly illustrated than now!

Timothy Rollins

• Photos of Mike Tyson and his lawyers courtesy of the Las Vegas SUN

You can e-mail your comments to Timothy at tim@opinionet.com

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