Punch-Drunken Stupor: For Once,
It's Okay To Feel Tyson's Pain
Jonathan David Morris
10.10.01
- Can't quite comprehend the thickness of current
world tension, can you? Perhaps you're in need of
a fresh perspective. Try this one: Even the so-called
Baddest Man on the Planet has expressed concern.
Currently in Denmark preparing to
battle inconsequence in the form of Brian Nielsen,
Mike Tyson has hinted he's in no hurry to return
stateside. Following his fairly easy up-coming affair,
he just might stay in Europe, he says. Or, in his
words, "It's just really hectic back home a
little bit."
Yeah, Mike? You think?
By now, Nielsen must feel cheated.
Tyson's afforded him relatively little of the standard
fare. Where's the aura of invincibility? Where's
the intimidation factor usually bestowed upon helpless
opponents at this late juncture in Iron Mike's pre-fight
hype? Where's the walking, talking time bomb that
we all love to hate?
It's all there, but in disappointingly
small doses. I suppose that calling one a time bomb
has less comical appeal now.
Better questions are yet to be answered.
Could the human emotions expressed here possibly
come from the same mighty mind that produced the
gem about eating the unborn son(s) and/or daughter(s)
of former champion Lennox Lewis? Could this subtle
admission of fear possibly come from the same raging
manbeast that once declared himself besmirched by
the "primitive skills" of his meager opponents?
The sum of the answers is yes. Only
in America, my friends, or Europe as it were.
For what it's worth, Mike Tyson
is/was a Muslim. I assume he still is, but whether
or not he's a practicing Muslim, well, I'm simply
not at liberty to say. He hasn't mentioned his faith
much, if at all, since the months immediately following
the conclusion of his three-year prison stay in
1995.
Whereas Islam seemed a significant
element of his mystique during the days of Peter
McNeeley, it was a nonfactor when he abolished Andrew
Golota late last year. After all, Iron Mike sheds
personas with greater frequency than he knocks out
opponents. Considering the man's kayo percentage,
that's a sizable statement.
If memory serves, his stint as an
outwardly Muslim--when "Praise Be Allah"
was a familiar post-fight phrase--had mostly faded
by the time he fought Evander Holyfield in November
1996. That the disappearance of such displays coincided
with the first loss to Holyfield might explain why.
Against a Christian superconductor such as the Real
Deal, the potency of Tyson's devotion seemed limited.
The two engaged in a spiteful war
of words, but it could have easily disintegrated
into something far worse. A "my God's better
than your God" discussion was entirely possible,
though, fortunately, it did not occur. For that,
Mike should be retrospectively commended.
Then again, a few months later,
he made their rematch famous by biting off Holyfield's
ears. If anything, I wish he'd speak of his faith
again. In those long gone days of public commitment,
he truly seemed a changed man.
One wonders if even Iron Mike knows
what goes through the mind of Iron Mike. There's
stark political contrast between his own two forearms,
where both Chairman Mao, a figurehead renown for
murderous Communist oppression, and Arthur Ashe,
a tennis talent and ambassador for racial equality,
are men whose mugs are marked in permanent ink.
With juxtaposition the likes of Tyson's erratic
tattoo collection, there's an odds-on chance that
his dogmas of choice are lost and won on the Las
Vegas betting tables he's spent so much time around.
Someone should put a call in to
next door neighbor Wayne Newton, see if maybe old
Iron Mike has sniffed too much green felt.
But Tyson's faith is not crucial
to the point I'm trying to make here. What he believes
in, how strongly he believes it, is neither here
nor there. To be quite honest, a man's color, religion,
ethnicity or what have you, it's all entirely relative
to me. I respect a good person and despise a bad
one, categorizations be damned. Despite its occasional
exploitation of such themes, the boxing world mostly
feels the same.
At times, Tyson has appeared far
less than righteous. Lately, especially in light
of the medical records exposed by his doctors just
a few years ago, he's become a figure mostly sympathetic.
So, maybe this would have meant more, say, back
in 1986, but the fact that Mike Tyson--of all folks--has
revealed his concern is a frightening sign of the
times.
Here we've got the most feared professional
athlete this side of Jack Dempsey, a man whose mere
presence commands awe, whose very physicality demands
respect, and he's cowering in someone's shadow.
He's scared to go home, scared to face the ugly
truth that's enveloped the world as we know it.
Here we have an openly intimidated
Mike Tyson for the very first time.
And then it hits you. Suddenly,
what's got the world's feathers in a ruffle is something
of understandably stellar magnitude. Like never
before, you can take your seat in the same shaky
boat that Iron Mike's rocked for years. At last,
you find a like-minded friend in the one and only
Mike Tyson.
Never thought you'd see the day,
did you? Neither did I. Neither did anybody, I would
think. But Mike Tyson's only human. In these troubling
times, we're reminded of just how delicate that
makes him.
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Mike Tyson works
the mitts during a workout Wednesday at the Fitness
DK Gym
in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mike Tyson is mobbed by young kids after a workout
at the Fitness DK Gym
Wednesday in Copenhagen, Denmark.The former undisputed
heavyweight champion
and current World Boxing Council No. 1 contender
faces hometown hero Brian
Nielsen in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP
BOXING Saturday, Oct.
13, from Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. In the co-feature,
Joe Calzaghe will
make the ninth defense of his World Boxing Organization
super middleweight title
when he takes on Will "Kid Fire" McIntyre.
Both bouts will be shown on
SHOWTIME via same-day tape delay at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME
