Tyson Takes Some Wild Shots at His Foes in Media

LAS VEGAS — Mike Tyson hasn’t lost any of his sharpness. He can still throw as vicious a jab as ever.

As long as it’s outside the ring and the target is a bunch of sportswriters.

In a news conference at the MGM Grand on Thursday to promote his match against Orlin Norris on Oct. 23, Tyson accepted the blame for the legal problems that have twice landed him behind bars while also lashing out at those who have reported on those problems.

“I have no one to blame but myself,” the former two-time heavyweight champion said. “Others helped, but I carry the blame. . . . I carry the weight of the fool. . . . It shouldn’t have happened, but there shouldn’t be racism. There shouldn’t be dysfunctional alcoholic reporters.”

In questioning those he feels judge him and accuse him of letting boxing down, Tyson said, “I look around the room and I see guys in here who are probably perverts, pedophiles, freaks and horrible fathers. They let themselves down.”

Tyson was sporting a new look, if not a new attitude, Thursday. Gone was the menacing goatee and bald head. Back is a full head of hair. With his white vest and pants and colorful shirt, he resembled one of the many lounge acts that appeared back in the 1970s in Vegas showrooms like the one where Thursday’s news conference was held.

Tyson’s act has also gotten old. And so has he, even in his own mind.

“I’m so young at 33,” he said, “but I seem so old.

“How did this come upon me? I had bad influences in my life. Most of my problems come from my immaturity. It’s part of growing up too fast. I was not ready to handle it all. . . . I went cold and unemotional. Now it’s one step at a time back.”

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While Tyson was taking his shots at the media, it was a man seated near him on the dais who caught the most flak.

Scott Woodworth is Norris’ manager. He also works for Arum’s Top Rank boxing organization. Or at least he did until Thursday.

Arum fired Woodworth over what he saw as a conflict of interest. Arum was incensed because America Presents, Tyson’s promoting organization, staged a news conference that took the spotlight off Arum’s blockbuster welterweight title match between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad.

“Originally, I thought that a member of my staff could also be a manager,” Arum said, “as long as his fighter didn’t fight one of my fighters. The Tyson thing demonstrated that I had made the situation too simplistic. How can I show outrage if one of my guys was up on the dais with Tyson?

“It’s nothing against Scott. He had no other choice than to do what he was told by [Dan] Goossen [head of America Presents]. Scott was told that if he did not show up, steps would be taken to remove Norris from the card.”

Goossen denies the charge. “It’s unequivocally not true,” he said. “I never did that. I never would do that.”

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With $31.5 million guaranteed to De La Hoya and Trinidad tonight, Arum wasn’t about to spend much money on the undercard and it shows, Butterbean and Mia St. John being the most recognizable names.

Dale Brown says he can’t believe he’s in the semi-main event. Neither can anyone who was expecting a little more preceding the richest non-heavyweight bout in history than Brown battling Vassiliy Jirov for the International Boxing Federation cruiserweight championship.

Everybody wonders who will win between De La Hoya and Trinidad. Most people will wonder who Brown and Jirov are.

They certainly have impressive records, having fought 40 times between them without a loss. Jirov, a transplanted Russian living in Phoenix, is 21-0 with 19 knockouts. He won the IBF crown in June via a seventh-round TKO of Arthur Williams. Brown, who comes from Calgary, is 18-0-1 with 13 knockouts.

They are stuck in a rarely noticed division, but they suddenly are on the world stage.

Also tonight, Johnny Nelson (34-12-1, 24 knockouts) from Sheffield, England, will defend his World Boxing Organization cruiserweight title against Sione Vaati Asipeli (15-1-2, seven knockouts) of Tonga. And unbeaten super-flyweight Eric Morel (22-0, 16 knockouts) will face Miguel Angel Granados of Mexico (19-8-1, eight knockouts) in a 10-round bout.

In one of the obligatory sideshows, Butterbean, once known as Eric Esch, faces Ken Craven in a four-rounder. The ever-popular Butterbean is 46-1-2 with 35 knockouts, Craven a less-than-impressive 12-5 with 11 knockouts.

In the other sideshow, St. John, soon to be a multimedia star with her appearance on the cover of November’s Playboy magazine, returns to her first love, boxing, putting her unbeaten record (12-0, seven knockouts) on the line against Kelly Downey (3-1, three knockouts).

Hard acts to sell? There won’t be an empty seat in the house.