Tyson to Roll Dice in Nevada

Mike Tyson clouded up his potential return to boxing again on Thursday, reversing field at the 11th hour and deciding he wanted to go back to fight in Nevada, after all.

On the eve of a scheduled New Jersey ruling--with escalating political pressure to deny him a license to fight in that state--Tyson on Thursday withdrew his New Jersey application.

At the same time, Tyson advisor Shelly Finkel formally asked that the Nevada State Athletic Commission consider reinstating the license it revoked from him almost 14 months ago after he bit both of Evander Holyfield’s ears--and was disqualified--in a heavyweight title fight on June 28, 1997.

The Nevada commissioners immediately accepted Tyson’s request, and officials there said a public hearing, with Tyson present and answering questions from the five commissioners, would be held in two or three weeks.

“I think it’s the right move and I think he should’ve come to Nevada in the first place,” said Elias Ghanem, chairman of the Nevada commission. “But I think he just came back to his senses and decided to come back to us.”

By applying in New Jersey and undergoing a four-hour hearing before the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that last month, Tyson and his advisors had none-too-subtly maneuvered to avoid Nevada’s jurisdiction, possibly because they feared the influence of Don King, Tyson’s former promoter, who owns a home in Las Vegas.

But near the end of the New Jersey hearing, Tyson cursed into the microphone and refused to read a prepared statement, leaving a bad impression even to those who favored his return to boxing.

Although there were signs that the board was under mounting political heat to at least delay awarding him a New Jersey license, Finkel told the Associated Press that they were not running away from a potential negative ruling.

“I felt very positive,” Finkel said. “We can always go back to New Jersey if it’s bad in Nevada.”

The New Jersey board met Aug. 6 and was prepared to announce a ruling--with Tyson in attendance--today.

Ghanem said that Tyson’s original decision to bypass Nevada--and his subsequent tirade before the New Jersey board--probably would not affect the Nevada commission’s ruling.

“I didn’t really quite understand it, to be honest,” Ghanem said of Tyson’s outburst. “But I don’t think any of that bothers me. What he may have said or blurted out . . . I don’t think that should have any influence on any commissioner.

“When he applied in New Jersey, it was a wait-and-see situation for us. But I don’t personally care about that. I just think we should go on the merits of whether anybody deserves a license.”

The Nevada commission--unlike New Jersey’s--will rule on Tyson’s status immediately after hearing from and questioning Tyson, Ghanem said.

Marc Ratner, the non-voting executive director of the Nevada commission, said Tyson’s New Jersey exploits were a territorial matter.

“I was never disappointed in Shelly Finkel or Mike Tyson,” Ratner said. “I was disappointed in the state of New Jersey for having a hearing. I felt then and feel that all states should honor the disciplinary actions of other states, and that New Jersey should’ve remanded it back to us.”

So what will happen to Tyson back in Nevada, the scene of his richest successes--and most infamous defeat?

“The bottom line is he is going to get licensed--he’s going to fight,” said Teddy Atlas, a former Tyson trainer. “They got creative--this just turned out to be the best way to do it. In some ways, it makes Tyson sympathetic again. ‘Gee, the guy is beleaguered, doesn’t know where to fight, took back his application, come on, let’s go easy on the guy.’

“He’s very good at that. One minute, he can be in a situation where he’s hated, and the next minute he can turn it around where he’s alive again.”

But the stop-and-start nature of Tyson’s life and career, Atlas emphasizes, won’t end even if Nevada reinstates his license. There is always room for more Tyson intrigue.

“For whatever’s left of his career, I believe we’re going to see all kinds of disruptions--pulling out of fights, doing something else that holds up the procedure,” Atlas said. “The road will be continued to be filled with holes.”