Tyson’s Victory Remains Clouded : Boxing: Possible conflicts of interest, referee’s decision to stop fight create furor.

Even a cleansing overnight desert storm failed to wash away boxing’s latest mess, the sudden stoppage by referee Richard Steele of Monday night’s Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock heavyweight fight.

A brawl erupted in the Mirage hotel’s outdoor ring, started by enraged Ruddock cornermen when Steele stopped the bout in the seventh round as a battered Ruddock, far behind on points, sagged against the ropes.

The controversy was still heated at a Tuesday morning news conference. First, the question was raised as to why Steele is assigned to work major Mirage fights when that casino-hotel’s president, Steve Wynn, is also president of the Golden Nugget hotel, where Steele is employed full time as a casino pit boss.

Another possible conflict of interest arises, some believe, when a promoter, such as Don King, has a multiple-fight arrangement with the Mirage, contingent upon a fighter, such as Tyson, winning.

James Nave, chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said the commission was unaware of any multiple-fight package existing between Wynn and King, adding: “Maybe in retrospect, we should have asked.”

King said he has a contract for Tyson to fight Reynaldo Snipes at the Mirage June 8, but that was thrown into question by Monday’s events. First, Showtime Event Television, King’s new pay-per-view syndicator, is said to be unhappy about Snipes as a Tyson opponent. Second, there was talk Tuesday of Tyson-Ruddock II in June.

“We’re going to talk all this out,” was all King would say.

Nave said the Nevada commission did not assign Steele to work last October’s Evander Holyfield-Buster Douglas Mirage fight because, Nave said, “Wynn would have benefited if Douglas had won.” Instead, Mills Lane worked the Holyfield-Douglas bout.

“All this comes down to the question of our faith in Richard Steele, and we have full, full faith in his integrity,” Nave said.

“You can question his judgment if you wish, but if you’re questioning his integrity, we ask that you put something on the table to show us.”

Murad Muhammad, Ruddock’s promoter, pointed out Tuesday that he asked the commission not to assign Steele to work the fight.

“We told the commission we were worried because Steele had stopped the Meldrick Taylor-Julio Cesar Chavez fight too soon, and also because we felt Steele had too close a relationship with Don King,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad also wondered if Steele’s stoppage was jet lag-related. Steele, who lives in Las Vegas, returned home Friday after working a fight in Japan last week.

Steele was paid $1,900 Monday night. Tyson was guaranteed a minimum $6 million, Ruddock $3 million.

The referee, who after Monday night’s fight said he had “saved a life,” stood by his performance Tuesday.

“I did an honest job, to the best of my ability,” he said. “My job is to help a fighter in need. Ruddock was helpless, laying on the ropes. When he let me remove his mouthpiece from his mouth, that told me he was surrendering.

“I was a fighter. If I’m not hurt, I would never allow a referee to remove my mouthpiece. I didn’t want Ruddock to finish laying on his back. He’d taken enough punishment. But if I’d let Mike finish him off, I wouldn’t be sitting here (at a news conference).

“But look how it ended for Ruddock. He’s got a bright future, he’s going to make lots of money, maybe there’s a rematch. . . . “

At the time Steele stopped the fight, it appeared that Ruddock was on the verge of being knocked out.

On the question of why Steele simply didn’t call a standing-eight count to examine Ruddock more closely, it was explained there is no standing-eight count in Nevada. “The commission feels the action should not be stopped,” Nave said.

Said the commission’s executive director, Chuck Minker: “The question comes up every so often. . . . There’s not been much support for it. Our ringside doctors don’t like it, they feel it just makes the fighter who’s strongest at that point that much stronger if the fight isn’t stopped after the standing-eight.”

As to the brawl, Nave said a long review of the videotapes of the melee will begin soon. “We’re going to try to identify every Nevada licensee we can see in those replays who participated in that (brawl) and we’re going to call every one of them before the commission,” he said.