Tyson to Roll Dice in New Jersey

Attention, Las Vegas: You can call off the Mike Tyson watch. He’s not coming.

Expected to reapply for his boxing license a year after it was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the former heavyweight champion instead pulled a surprise move Friday, applying for a license in New Jersey.

That state’s Athletic Control Board, rather than simply honoring Nevada’s revocation, has scheduled a July 29 hearing in Trenton to consider Tyson’s request. He is expected to attend the hearing.

The Nevada commission revoked Tyson’s license July 9, 1997, 12 days after he was disqualified for biting the ears of heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in their rematch at the MGM Grand Garden.

Friday’s action by the New Jersey board has infuriated Nevada officials.

“We expect all states to honor our revocation,” said Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

At issue is a federal law that requires boxing commissions to honor one another’s actions. The New Jersey decision to hold a hearing appears to be based on semantics. Roger Shatzkin of the New Jersey attorney general’s office said there is a difference between a suspension and a revocation. Under New Jersey’s interpretation, only a suspension need be honored.

“We believe the two are not only synonymous,” Ratner said, “but that a revocation is much tougher. A suspension has a closed end. A revocation does not.”

Shatzkin said that any opinions on New Jersey’s action are premature.

“We are not licensing him at this point,” Shatzkin said. “We’re holding a hearing.”

A decision is expected within 45 days of that hearing.

Shelly Finkel, part of Tyson’s new advisory team, has said the fighter hopes to be back in the ring in October.

Ratner said Tyson still will have to plead his case before the Nevada commission to regain his license in that state.

“Mike Tyson, as any other fighter, makes the decision as to where he or she wants to fight and wants to be licensed,” said Anthony Fusco Jr., Tyson’s attorney. “He has strong ties to New Jersey. He had some good fights there. At this point, Mike’s only intention is to be licensed in New Jersey.”

Offering a preview of what Tyson is expected to say to the New Jersey board July 29, Fusco said Tyson feels remorse over his actions in his second fight against Holyfield.

“You have to look at all of Mike’s fights, and you’ll never see a foul,” Fusco said. “It’s one moment we obviously regret. Mike Tyson has taken the necessary steps and wants to move forward.”

Among the steps Tyson has taken in the last year to change his image was cutting loose the cast of characters that surrounded him. He has severed his ties with promoter Don King and co-managers John Horne and Rory Holloway.

Tyson rejected offers to fight out of this country over the past year and has kept a relatively low profile except for one ill-advised appearance in a wrestling show.

He appeared to have a good chance of getting his license back in Nevada because of the perception that he had cleaned up his act and because of the millions of dollars in revenue that he could generate for the state by returning to the ring.

Tyson is no stranger to the rings in New Jersey, either. More than one-quarter of his 48 professional fights have been in that state, but he hasn’t fought there since Dec. 8, 1990, when he beat Alex Stewart in Atlantic City in a nontitle bout.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.