Tyson Ready to Deliver Earful at Hearing Today

And now, round two.

In the first round of his battle to regain his boxing license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, former two-time heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was in a defensive stance, fending off the jabs and shots leveled by the five-man commission at a hearing last month.

Tyson, who had his license revoked in July 1997 after biting both ears of heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in their title rematch, let his lawyers, his advisor, his accountant, a psychiatrist and a counselor do most of the talking. Tyson, on advice of his lawyers, refused to answer any questions about an alleged violent incident that occurred following a traffic accident in Maryland earlier this year.

Today, however, at the follow-up hearing which will take place in a county government building beginning at 9 a.m., Tyson plans to take off the gloves, according to his attorney, Jim Jimmerson.

“Mike anticipates fully responding to what happened in Maryland,” Jimmerson said. “We know that the issue has to be addressed. We are very respectful of the commission’s concerns.”

At the last hearing, two major obstacles prevented Tyson, who hopes to return to the ring in Las Vegas on Dec. 5, from getting his license back.

The first was the Maryland matter. It allegedly occurred after a car driven by Tyson’s wife, Monica Turner, was hit in a multi-car crash. Occupants of two of the other cars involved, a man in his 50s and another in his 60s, claim that Tyson, a passenger in Turner’s car, hit them. One says he was hit in the face, the other claims he was kicked in the groin. Both have filed misdemeanor assault complaints.

“I’m concerned,” said Luther Mack, one of the five commissioners who will sit in judgment of Tyson today. “I want to know what happened before I vote.”

Jimmerson says that representatives of Tyson are trying to reach a settlement with the victims, but he says, contrary to earlier reports, “the desire for a settlement was initiated by the complaintants.”

Jimmerson also says he’s not concerned about the statement of a prosecutor in Maryland who said there are plans to go forward with charges against Tyson even if a settlement is reached.

“The police officer at the scene,” Jimmerson said, “after interviewing all the parties, chose not to arrest Mike Tyson. The officer said it was too close to a ‘he said, she said’ situation.”

Regardless of the ultimate outcome in Maryland, no more information on that incident is expected before today’s hearing. So where does that leave the commissioners?

“I would hate to see,” Mack said, “Mike Tyson come back before us and lie. I have a feeling that he will be very candid with us. This is his last go-round.”

The other issue to be considered is the state of Tyson’s mental health. Can he avoid losing control of his rage as he did against Holyfield?

Dissatisfied after learning at last month’s hearing that Tyson had spent only 13 hours with mental health examiners, the commissioners ordered more extensive testing at one of three sites of their choosing. Tyson underwent five days of testing under the microscope of six doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital. Their findings: Tyson should be allowed to return to the ring.

But Mack remains concerned because one doctor, David Medoff, revealed that Tyson admitted having “a wish” to do harm to Medoff while he was examining the fighter.

“That really alarms me,” Mack said. “I want to talk to that doctor and find out what caused that. Was he [the doctor] threatened? Was he frightened? He had to be concerned about Mike’s attitude.”

Mack also wants to question the doctors about the fact that the evaluation had to be halted at one point because the stress was getting to Tyson.

Mack will get his chance to ask his questions. Three of the six examining doctors are expected to be at today’s hearing. But gone will be attorney Dale Kinsella and advisor Shelly Finkel, both of whom clashed with the commissioners at the first hearing.

Tyson has been assured that, like in a fight, he will walk out of today’s proceedings with a final decision. He needs an affirmative vote from three of the five commissioners to get his license back.

But unlike a fight, Tyson has only one tactic available to him if he hopes to be successful: To tell the truth.