Tyson mess still murky

By STEVE SIMMONS -- Toronto Sun This is about boxing, so it must be about confusion.
Yesterday, the punishment came down for Mike Tyson. Exactly what that punishment was, and whether it will stand up legally, and whether it will be challenged, is now more a matter of action and interpretation than it is of fact.
It was either a lifetime suspension or a one-year sentence with parole for good behavior. You take your pick.
Tyson, by boxing accounts, has had the book thrown at him for his biting of Evander Holyfield's ears by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It has revoked Tyson's licence to fight. It has fined him the maximum number it could - in this case $3 million, 10% of the purse from the Holyfield title fight. It will attach the costs involved with the proceedings to Tyson, also.
POTENTIAL TWISTS
But what does it all mean?
In truth, it is far too early to know. And there are too many potential twists in this already twisted story.
Tyson's licence to fight has been revoked, which should mean he has been banned from boxing. But a year from now, he can apply once again to be licensed to fight in Nevada, and therefore licensed to fight anywhere else.
In other words, this is probably no more than a one-year suspension, a suspension simply worded differently, assuming Tyson will be reinstated by next year at this time.
If that's the case, you could argue this is really no suspension at all. It isn't uncommon for a heavyweight boxer to fight only once in a given year. And after Tyson had lost to Holyfield twice in a row, last November and again by disqualification in the final days of June, there was no certainty Tyson would be returning to the ring in the immediate future.
There is a second point to wonder about here, a point raised yesterday by William Wheeler, a lawyer from Washington state who has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to become a boxing power broker and came forth voluntarily in this case.
It is Wheeler's contention, after reading the bylaws of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, that Tyson can be fined or have his licence suspended or revoked, but the commission doesn't legally have the power to invoke both measures. And when the commission invoked both measures yesterday, you could see the lightbulb going off in Wheeler's head.
This legal difference of opinion is his opportunity to become a big player in a game that previously wouldn't allow him in.
Here's the catch. With Tyson now a non-fighter by any standards, there is a point that needs to be further addressed. Those who have previously been associated with Tyson professionally cannot continue that association with him now that he is an unlicensed fighter. That is one of the real catches in this. By continuing that association, they chance having their licences revoked as well.
This puts the illustrious Don King in a most uncomfortable position. He is Tyson's promoter and in many ways his surrogate manager. Tyson is his meal ticket.
But King now could stand to lose everything if he cannot sever his ties with Tyson, who has become a better draw than a fighter. So if you're Don King, what do you do?
And if you look behind your back, isn't that William Wheeler sneaking up from behind?
This is another matter lost in all the angst surrounding the Holyfield fight.
Tyson remains an attraction. What he isn't is a great heavyweight fighter any more. He is not the champion of the world and is unlikely to ever be that again. But in the pay-per-view world that boxing has become, Tyson can generate revenue. Almost no one else in the game, Evander Holyfield included, can do the same.
APPLAUDED
And if the Nevada State Athletic Commission should be applauded for anything today, it should be applauded for making the kind of decision that puts some honor back in the sport at a time when it is injuring its state's big-fight ability by barring Tyson.
Tyson had said before the hearing that he would not challenge the findings. And yesterday, his lawyers went against Tyson's advice in attempting to challenge much of what was being presented. Will Tyson stick to his rigid stance or will somehow Wheeler get to him and convince him that his next fight should be with the Nevada commission?
There is no right and wrong here. There is only boxing and there are only lawyers.
Yesterday, a lawyer named Oscar Goodman representing Mike Tyson stood up and pronounced that his man "remains a gentleman today. He retains his dignity today.''
This is boxing. Everything is open to interpretation.

Steve Simmons can be reached via e-mail at ssimmons@sunpub.com

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