Tyson an Underdog in This Rematch

He would stride into the ring draped in arrogance and little else. No elaborate costumes, no gaudy robes, no string of goofy hangers-on.

Mike Tyson wore simple black trunks, no socks and had a white towel serving as a shirt. He didn’t smile and didn’t acknowledge the crowd or the opponent. He was a warrior looking for blood, not laughs.

But no more.

Today, Mike Tyson will go to the Cashman Center inside this town’s baseball park to strike a pose of humility in a hearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

At least that’s what Shelly Finkel and Tyson’s other advisors and his lawyers hope he will do.

The time for arrogance is long past. Tyson is coming off a string of defeats, and he can’t afford another one. He lost his heavyweight title to Evander Holyfield in 1996 and then lost the rematch last year when he was disqualified after the third round for viciously biting Holyfield’s ears.

Then 11 days later, Tyson lost his boxing license, the commission revoking it as punishment for his barbaric behavior in the ring.

Today, Tyson gets his rematch with the commission. He will ask for his license back. He will apologize once again for his loss of control against Holyfield, he will plead poverty and he will promise to be on his best behavior in the future.

If only it were so simple.

When Tyson lost his license, he seemed to finally get the message. He severed his ties with promoter Don King and his other handlers, John Horne and Rory Holloway, who were considered bad influences. Tyson was suddenly portrayed as a family man, allowing himself to be seen with his wife, Monica Turner, and their children. He signed autographs and flashed a smile to the public rather than his trademark frown. And he rejected offers to bolt the country and fight abroad, beyond the reach of the commission.

But as the time approached for him to reapply for his license, it all seemed to come apart. Tyson, reinforcing the belief of those who think he doesn’t want to fight again, sabotaged himself over and over.

When Finkel told him there was a surer chance for reinstatement in New Jersey, Tyson tried to bypass the Nevada commission, angering the commissioners.

In a hearing before the New Jersey commissioners, Tyson lost his cool, exploding in a conversation with his attorney, his angry outburst heard all over the room.

Then, when it became obvious he would lose the vote in New Jersey, Tyson withdrew his application and has come slinking back to Nevada.

But first, he took a detour through Maryland. According to criminal complaints filed in Gaithersburg, Md., after Tyson’s car was rear-ended in a traffic accident, he assaulted occupants of the other cars involved.

That pending legal action, if it goes against Tyson, could result in something far more serious than the loss of his license. He could lose his freedom if it is decided that he violated his parole, which is still in effect from his imprisonment on a rape conviction.

So the Mike Tyson who comes before the Nevada commission today brings with him even more baggage than he brought the last time. He is a man who has shown he has not learned to control his rage, a man who tried to avoid dealing with these commissioners, a man facing legal difficulties that could remove him from society.

All of which raises the question, what in the world is he doing here?

Even before the Maryland incident, Tyson was advised to at least ask for a license no earlier than 1999, giving the commissioners the chance to satisfy their critics who complained that a 12-month denial wasn’t harsh enough.

Now it would seem wise to wait until his legal status becomes a bit clearer. Finkel said he thought that might happen as soon as next month.

Until then, there doesn’t appear to be much the commissioners can do. According to Kirk Hendrick, the senior deputy attorney general of Nevada, the commissioners cannot grant a conditional permit that would hinge on the outcome of Tyson’s legal problems in Maryland.

“That’s just not something we are contemplating,” Hendrick said. “The commission cannot do that. If Mr. Mike Tyson is unable to provide the complete information the commissioners need to deliberate, if he is not prepared to satisfy his burden, he will be told to please come back when he can. If he can’t provide answers, we can’t make a decision.”

It appears that Tyson is forcing the issue now because he fears that, once the full story of the Maryland incident comes out, he will have lost his chance to get a license.

So he is rolling the dice in this gaming capital and hoping that he hits the jackpot--one quickly staged, lucrative fight--before facing a potential legal knockout.

If Tyson does not get his license, he is prepared to fight in Europe or wherever he can get a bout.

But even that plan is shaky because he might not be permitted to leave the country while his parole status is in doubt.

Don’t look for him to get any help from the Nevada commissioners. They will probably put his case on hold today.

And that may prove to be the final blow for Tyson, a man who has just about run out of time, money, excuses and the goodwill of a state whose officials have long treated him with the understanding care given a cash cow.

QUICK JABS

Carlos Genena (29-2, 25 knockouts) will face Adan Casillas (11-1, 10 knockouts) for the World Boxing Council Continental Americas junior-lightweight title tonight at Paolina’s Boxing Gym in the Wilshire District.

Also on the card, which begins at 7, Carlos Madrigal (9-1, four knockouts) battles Ramon Hurtado (12-1, nine knockouts) in an eight-round flyweight match.