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    CHRONO SPORTS
    		•
    		Monday, July 7, 1997

    Circus expected at Tyson hearing

     LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Madonna won't be there this time and you can't buy a $1,500 ringside seat. Still, the circus atmosphere surrounding Mike Tyson's penalty hearing Wednesday figures to rival that of his fight with Evander Holyfield.
     An overflow crowd of media and those simply wanting to get a glimpse of Tyson are expected at the Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing, where Tyson will learn the severity of his punishment for biting Holyfield's ears.
     With only 327 seats available in the Las Vegas City Hall council chambers, media credentials are being issued for the hearing and spectators are expected to line up early to get a chance to watch the spectacle.
     What they see may be briefer than the fight itself, assuming Tyson goes ahead with his plan not to fight sanctions from the commission.
     "We're anticipating it being less than 15 or 20 minutes for the whole matter," said Joe Rolston, the Nevada deputy attorney general prosecuting the case against Tyson.
     Sources close to Tyson say the former heavyweight champion will attend the hearing, though he is not required to be there. Tyson will likely plead for the commission not to ban him for life from boxing, essentially throwing himself on the mercy of the court.
     Rolston is seeking revocation of Tyson's boxing license, a recommendation the commission almost surely will follow so that it can fine him up to $3 million, or 10 percent of his purse for fighting Holyfield.
     The real question is when Tyson will be allowed to apply for a license again. Though the five commissioners have been tight-lipped, the widespread consensus is that Tyson faces being banned from boxing from 18 months to two years.
     Commission executive director Marc Ratner said he was making no recommendation on Tyson's punishment, leaving it to the commission, which is appointed by the governor.
     "This is strictly a policy thing for the commission to decide," Ratner said.
     A new federal law that took effect last week requires other states to honor any actions Nevada boxing regulators take.
     Tyson was stripped of his WBA ranking Monday because he is under temporary suspension in Nevada pending the commission meeting. Tyson, who was te No. 1 heavyweight contender, was replaced in the rankings by South Africa's Francois Botha.
     "We are acting in solidarity with the commission of Las Vegas," said Alberto Sarmiento, one of seven members of the WBA rankings committee.
     He said the former champion's biting was an "illegal act, like poking a finger in the eye, and deserves to be sanctioned."
     Tyson, meanwhile, was seen driving a red Ferrari in the Greenwich Village area of New York City on Sunday.
     Tyson was stopped at a light, sped away on the green but was stopped quickly at a second light. As he took off again, several young boys ran after him, yelling, "Hey, Mike. Bite my ear."
     George Walker, Tyson's probation officer in Indiana, said he thought Tyson was in Las Vegas on Monday preparing for the hearing.
     "He's been out and about, getting ready to attend that meeting, from what I understand," Walker said.


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