Boxing : Tyson’s Finances Starting to Gain His Interest

With the death last month of Jimmy Jacobs, co-manager of heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, speculation arose almost immediately as to the future of Jacobs’ partner, Bill Cayton.

In fact, demonstrating again that boxing is still safe from inroads of good taste, Cayton’s future with Tyson was a lively conversation topic at Jacobs’ funeral in Los Angeles. Conversation then and since has also focused on the 21-year-old Tyson’s heightened interest in his business affairs since his February marriage to actress Robin Givens.

A year and a half ago, at the Tyson-Trevor Berbick fight in Las Vegas, after Tyson had begun earning big money, a reporter asked Jacobs if the boxer showed interest in how his money was being invested.

“Not in the slightest,” Jacobs said.

All that has changed, apparently. While no one has yet called him a Wall Street wizard, Tyson--at his wife’s urging--now wants to be fully informed on not only how his money is handled but also on negotiations for his fights, sources say.

The disbursement of money from the June 27 Tyson-Michael Spinks fight in Atlantic City may be one item for which Mrs. Tyson wants some answers.

Richie Giachetti, Larry Holmes’ former trainer who works occasionally for Tyson’s promoter, Don King, says Tyson’s recent exposure to film industry figures through his wife may have triggered the boxer’s new interest in finance.

“What’s happened is that Mike is meeting people like Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy,” Giachetti said. “People like that are asking him questions like ‘How come you’re getting $18 to $20 million and Spinks is getting $13 million? How come it’s not $5 million for Spinks and $30 million for you?’ ”

Said one source close to the Tyson camp, who asked not to be named: “Robin’s advisers have talked to Mike and they’re asking a lot of questions about Mike’s money, and it’s all getting back to Bill. I feel sorry for Bill, it’s a tough time for him. Mike was always closer to Jimmy than he was to Bill.”

Cayton, sources say, is working for Tyson on a contract that was renewed through 1992 a year ago.

One report had it that Cayton was livid at receiving a letter from an attorney, presumably Givens’, requesting an accounting of all of Tyson’s earnings.

For a while, after Jacobs’ death, Tyson seemed to be caught in a tug-of-war between King and Cayton, for control of the champion. There was even speculation that King aspired to be Tyson’s manager. It’s a dead issue, according to Tyson’s publicist, Steve Lott.

“It’s history,” he said. “Bill is Mike’s manager, period. Mike was asked about it on the telecast of the (Evander) Holyfield-(Carlos) DeLeon fight (last Saturday), and Mike said ‘Bill Cayton is my manager.’ He can’t make it any plainer.”

Reports that Cayton was on his way out as Tyson’s manager were also denied this week by Tyson’s trainer, Kevin Rooney, and Matt Baranski, assistant trainer.

“I’ve been with Mike since he was 13 years old, and it’s all (bleep),” Baranski said. “Bill (Cayton) is no fool, he has a binding contract with Mike. Don (King) may be trying to exert influence on Mike, but only insofar as he wants to continue to promote his fights.”

Several names came into play as possible Tyson managers, after the rumor mill had Cayton on the way out. Two of them:

--Jose Torres. The former light-heavyweight champion and now boxing commissioner of New York state. Torres, like Tyson, was trained by the late Cus D’Amato.

--Shelly Finkel. Finkel is the manager of a close Tyson friend, Mark Breland, and is putting together the pay-per-view TV network for the June 27 Tyson-Spinks fight.

When asked recently about rumors he would leave Cayton, Tyson told the New York Post: ‘I am not a traitor.’ ”

Lott indicated King will continue to be Tyson’s promoter if Tyson wants him to be.

“Don (King) is Mike’s promoter. He’s always been Mike’s promoter. We have never even spoken to another boxing promoter.”

However, the King-Jacobs relationship was known to be a more friendly one than King-Cayton. King was seated near Tyson at the Holyfield-DeLeon fight and the two have spent time together in recent weeks. King, everyone agrees, wants to continue to promote Tyson’s fights.

Said Jacobs, in 1986: “We have never had one single unhappy experience with Don King. Until we do, he’s our promoter.”

Meanwhile, the champion himself is supervising work crews this week.

With Givens in Los Angeles working on a film project, Tyson is at the couples’ recently purchased, 28-room, 86-year-old fixer-upper estate in Bernardsville, N.J., supervising several renovation and restoration crews.

Tim Witherspoon might be wiggling back into King’s good graces, which could mean a Tyson-Witherspoon bout in 1989. Witherspoon, most boxing people concede now, is the second best heavyweight in the world, but he sued King a year ago and has been on the outs.

Now, word has it that Witherspoon may fight on the Tyson-Spinks undercard, against “a suitable opponent.” Already, Trevor Berbick and Carl Williams are set for the undercard.

Pat O’Grady, the colorful promoter who promoted boxing shows in the Southwest and Oklahoma for more than 40 years, died recently at 60 in an Oklahoma City veteran’s hospital.

O’Grady was one of the last boxing figures who came into boxing as a carnival fighter. After being awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star as a Marine in the South Pacific in World War II, O’Grady, for a while, took on all- comers as a carny fighter in Oklahoma.

Later, he had 123 pro fights before becoming a well-known cut man, trainer, manager and promoter. His son, Sean, who O’Grady trained, managed and promoted, was briefly the World Boxing Assn. lightweight champion in 1981.

The Trump Plaza in Atlantic City is claiming its June 27 Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks fight is already the all-time live-gate champion. Earlier this week, the hotel announced it had sold $7.2 million worth of tickets, topping the previous record, $6.8 million for Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler last year at Caesars Palace.

The fight, which will be held in the 18,000-seat Atlantic City Convention Hall, is scaled from the $100 cheap seats to $1,500 ringside.

Meanwhile, Tyson opened this week as a 4-1 favorite at most Las Vegas sports books. He was a 5-1 choice at the Golden Nugget.

Contracts for the fight have still not been signed. The most recent hang-up is HBO’s pending $10-million lawsuit against Spinks’ manager, Butch Lewis. HBO dropped a $10-million suit on Lewis after he pulled Spinks out of the HBO-Las Vegas Hilton unification tournament.

“I’m not making idle threats,” Lewis told the New York Daily News. “The fight won’t go on if this thing isn’t settled.”

Boxing Notes

Unbeaten California featherweight champion Jesus Poll (15-0-2) of North Hollywood meets Miguel Juarez (29-10) of Los Angeles in a 10-rounder April 26 at the Reseda Country Club. In a companion featherweight 10, Abe Gomez (10-0) of Pacoima, with five straight knockouts, meets Hugo Anguiano (10-10) of Los Angeles.