Tyson troubled by onslaught of doubt

The outcome of tomorrow's world heavyweight title bout may hinge on the state of mind of a challenger whose powers of intimidation are waning, writes Ken Jones from Las Vegas

More attention should have been paid to the twists and turns of a long conversation Mike Tyson had with reporters last November, shortly before Evander Holyfield stopped him in 11 rounds for the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship.

With hindsight there was enough in Tyson's demeanour to suggest not only serious disregard for Holyfield's warrior instinct but an erosion of the grim purpose that had spread terror throughout the division.

If technical shortcomings and neglectful preparation contributed to Tyson's downfall there was also a sense of uncertainty. It lingers, and Tyson's claimed commitment to family life, the emphasis he places on the future well-being of his children, may be as relevant to the outcome of tomorrow's rematch here as the results of attempted improvement.

At this stage of his career Tyson may well be in conflict with the inner man, troubled by maturity, at odds with the primitive instinct that was central to his violent progress in the ring. Where Tyson once scorned the possibility of defeat he now accepts that Holyfield could beat him again. "If it happens I'll carry on fighting," he told friends and close associates this week. "It would not be the end for me."

Maybe not, but those are not the words of a man still committed to the rough and tumble of prize-fighting. They are those of a man who asks questions of himself. "Sometimes I wonder why I am doing this," he said, "but what else is there? Even now, after all I have been through, I don't know exactly what I want to do. I enjoy my kids and I want to make a difference with them. My children are all I have. It [family life] is relatively knew to me. Wives are human, they may run off with other people. But you have to take care of your children. They are always there. I'm glad that I have them at this stage of my life, because they are at an age when they really don't know what goes on in this business.

"My children know what I do. But I think of it as their future. Every time I get into the ring it helps their future. Every fight means a different future for them. They cried when I lost to Holyfield. But they saw I was OK, so they didn't trip up on that too much."

Tyson's mentor, Cus D'Amato, is still around in the form of memory. "Cus was a great emotional teacher," he said. "We learned from him not to take anything personally as far as the job was concerned. This is our life. We have much more than boxing. I believe that boxing is the best sport in the world, but I can't get caught up in defeats, because that is what life is all about."

No longer true to a formula of establishing superiority through intimidation, Tyson is unquestionably less of a force than he was, and the feeling grows that Holyfield has his measure.

Doubts may be crowding in on Tyson as they do on practically everyone who is required to arrive at a conclusion about the contest. Holyfield's apparent confidence, the coolness he exhibited on Wednesday when speaking at a press conference attended by hundreds of media representatives, has become important in the reckoning. But for many of us it still comes back to the true state of Tyson's mind and whether the return of Richie Giachetti as trainer has brought about improvements in technique and attitude.

In that respect there is very little to go on but the careless words of a sparring partner may prove significant. "Today, Mike was good." And yesterday and all those other days? One question begets another and I still do not know where I am with this. When did a heavyweight championship fight raise so much speculation?

When asked about the first fight, Tyson said: "Basically, I didn't know what I was doing out there. I thought I'd won, then I realised that Holyfield was the winner. It was all very confusing but that's in the past, history."

Perhaps Tyson draws strength from mistrusting people generally and the realisation that his present situation in life, his past successes in boxing and his prosperity, prove merely that nothing is for certain. "Everyone is against us [his organisation]," he said. "Nobody is on our side. Corporations are against us. Systems are against us. The media is against us, but we are still in there fighting, still doing well. I don't want to be on television shows, to make out that I'm friendly with those people. I don't want to pretend to know them. The people I care about know me. All the media has done is hurt me and my family."

Tyson's past rises up before him. Scandal after scandal culminating in conviction for rape and a prison sentence. He speaks of being ripped off by lawyers and conned by a group who took $250,000 for the construction of a mosque and then left town with the money. "No one knows me. What has happened in my life makes me the person I am. I'm the only one who knows me. I've been taken advantage of all my life. I've been abused. I've been dehumanised. I've been humiliated. I've been betrayed. And I'm still angry and bitter about it. But you can't progress unless you let that go. It keeps you sharp to be revengeful but it also keeps you broke. History proves that the only person in boxing who really struggles is the fighter."

What Tyson appears to be struggling for is a renewal of the powers that made most of his contests a foregone conclusion.

n Nevada boxing officials are to hold an emergency meeting to consider a protest by Tyson's camp over the appointment of Mitch Halpern as referee, because of his handling of the first fight against Holyfield last November. The commission has been told that Tyson was upset over Halpern's handling of head butts in the fight.