Quote:``My retirement plan comes earlier,'' De La Hoya replied. ``Oh yeah, of course, there's no doubt about it. That's the easy way out, losing and just retiring. Of course, I don't want that. that's a lot of pressure there.''

Quote:``I really want to beat this guy,'' De La Hoya said. ``I've never had an animosity toward anybody. This guy, I really do, I really have some animosity towards him because he represents the bad side of boxing... Vargas is another Tyson.''

Quote:Philippines officials interested in Tyson-Lewis bout

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines, battling an image problem of its own, is making a pitch for the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight, billing it as a repeat of the "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier nearly three decades ago.

Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon said Saturday that the Philippines was "serious" about landing the match to promote the country, which has been saddled with a bad reputation over law-and-order problems, including kidnappings by the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group in the south.

"We would like to focus on the other side of the Philippines," Gordon said. "It would also highlight the fact that the rest of the Philippines is peaceful."

Tyson and Lewis were scheduled to fight for the heavyweight title in April in Las Vegas, but Nevada boxing officials voted last month to deny Tyson a license to fight in the state following a melee with Lewis at a news conference in New York.

Gordon said he has asked the Philippines' tourism coordinator in New York, Maricris Tabora, to talk with the fight managers.

"She is laying the groundwork for that," he said.

He also said he has received backing from the country's top businessmen, media executives, promotions agents and hotel owners.

"The first `Thrilla in Manila' was done rather well. It was one of the best fights the world ever saw," Gordon said.

The October 1, 1975, Ali-Frazier fight, the third between the two boxing greats, has been described as an epic match and one of the most savage bouts in history. Ali won when Frazier could not answer the bell for the 15th round.

"Our biggest argument is we've done it before and it will be a fitting tribute to boxing. This is one of the world's boxing capitals. We've always had good fights here," Gordon said. He also cited the Philippines' successful hosting of Miss Universe pageants and the 1996 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Gordon said Tyson and Lewis could be provided separate training sites and the fight could be held at the newly renovated Araneta Coliseum, where Ali defeated Frazier. He also said the time difference between the Philippines and the United States would be an advantage because a daytime fight could be watched by Americans in the evening.

"We will have a fiesta for all the people coming here," he said. "Once they come in here, we will throw a party for everyone -- before, during and after."

He was also unconcerned about any violent outburst by Tyson while here.

"That's part of the fun," Gordon said, clearly relishing the promoter's role. "I won't bite anybody's ear but I would bend anybody's ear to try to get this fight here."

Quote:Hearns files paperwork for April 6 fight at Silverdome

DETROIT (AP) -- Former boxing great Thomas Hearns is trying to lure the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight to Michigan, filing paperwork with the state requesting to stage a bout at the Pontiac Silverdome on April 6.

Tyson and Lewis were scheduled to fight for the heavyweight title that night in Las Vegas, but Nevada officials voted 4-1 last month to deny Tyson a license to fight in the state.

Tyson also applied in Texas for a license to fight. Texas appears to be the front-runner at the moment, with Michigan having a lesser chance. Tyson also is expected to apply for a license in California.

Hearns, now a promoter, remains optimistic.

``Right now, I think we have a 50-50 chance,'' Hearns said Friday.

His company, Hearns Entertainment Inc., on Wednesday filed notice and a $50 fee with the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, said Maura Campbell, department spokeswoman.

The application doesn't name boxers who will fight at the event. Out-of-state boxers typically are licensed the night of an event.

Michigan can only deny a boxer's license if he is on suspension in any other state, in jail or fails a pre-fight physical, Campbell said. However, a bill being considered by a state House committee would require boxing license applicants to demonstrate ``good moral character.''

State Rep. Andrew Raczkowski, who introduced the bill, issued a statement Friday urging the Legislature to approve it so Tyson would be unable to fight in Michigan.

``For the good of the state and the sport as a whole, unsavory characters should be denied access,'' Raczkowski said.

Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser, has said seven states have expressed interest in a Tyson-Lewis fight.

Lewis has said his WBC mandatory defense against Tyson won't happen on April 6 and that he might fight another opponent. Lewis, however, remains under contract for a Tyson fight.

The WBC has let it be known that it expects Lewis to fight the top-ranked Tyson before he fights anyone else.

``I understand that Texas and California are very strong contenders,'' Lewis trainer Emanuel Steward said Friday.

Texas officials would say only that they received Tyson's application and that department of licensing Executive Director Bill Kuntz will decide whether to approve it. Deputy Director Brian Francis said there was no timeline for a decision.

Officials at the Astrodome in Houston and the Texas Motor Speedway have expressed interest in hosting the fight.

A copy of Tyson's Texas application was not immediately available.

Steward, who runs Detroit's famed Kronk Gym, said Lewis has expressed no preference on a location for a proposed fight with Tyson.

Hearns said the ultimate decision on the fight's location rests with HBO, Showtime and Finkel.

In January 2001, state regulators suspended Tyson's Michigan boxing license for 90 days and fined him $5,000 for refusing to submit to a urine test before an October 2000 fight against Andrew Golota at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Michigan regulators said Tyson tested positive for marijuana after he defeated Golota.

``Mike knows how Detroit is. He's been here before,'' Hearns said.

slackjaw Wrote:Well, hopefully someone will finally get the deal done for the Lewis-Tyson fight. What I can't understand is how some Governor hasn't realized what a huge profit maker this fight could be for the old coffers, and convinced his state's boxing commission to sanction the fight.

Quote:Lewis camp working for early June date



The Lennox Lewis camp is working on setting up a fight with Mike Tyson for early June, a source close to Lewis told ESPN on Wednesday.

The source said that the fight would likely take place between June 1 and June 8. Promoters are concerned that a later date would bring too much competition from other events, including the conclusion of the World Cup soccer tournament, which finishes up June 30.

Where the Tyson-Lewis fight would take place is another question. There is no frontrunner, the source says, but the GeorgiaDome, the Meadowlands and the Staples Center are viable options at this point.

"Those sites are real," the source said.

Lewis was originally supposed to defend his heavyweight title against Tyson on April 6 in Las Vegas, but Nevada rejected Tyson's bid for a boxing license. Other states -- including New York -- have said they would not grant a license to Tyson. Tyson's trouble in getting a license stems from a melee which broke out at what was supposed to be a news conference promoting the fight last month. Tyson allegedly bit Lewis during the melee.

Tyson would still need to get a license in New Jersey or California to fight in those states.

DGW Wrote:The state of Georgia today granted Mike Tyson a boxing liscense.

Quote:Prosecutors: Unclear whether sex was forced

LAS VEGAS -- Mike Tyson will not be charged with sexual assault in two cases in Las Vegas, prosecutors said Thursday.


It was simply unclear whether the sexual interaction between each of the two alleged victims and Mr. Tyson was consensual or forced," Clark County prosecutors wrote in a letter sent Thursday to the Las Vegas police.

Prosecutors said there was no question sexual relations occurred between Tyson and the two women, but said there was "no possibility whatsoever" to successfully prosecute Tyson.

"His position, of course, is it's consensual. Their position is, of course, it's not," Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell told The Associated Press. "It's just not clear. It could have been either. I don't suppose we'll ever really know the truth."

Ten prosecutors reviewed the evidence gathered since police began investigating Tyson in September. They said the police investigation was so thorough that there was nothing more police could have done, or do in the future, that would warrant charges.

"We are grateful that the Clark Country District Attorney's Office conducted an independent review of both cases and did not rely solely on information gathered by the police department," Tyson's lawyer, Darrow K. Soll of Phoenix, said in a statement.

"Our parallel investigation reveals what we believe to be substantial evidence of Mr. Tyson's innocence."

Tyson himself won't comment, spokesman Scott Miranda said.

Police sought arrest warrants from prosecutors for Tyson on multiple counts of sexual assault in each case.

"I'm not going to talk about whether I'm surprised or disappointed or whatever," said police Lt. Jeff Carlson, who heads the sexual assault unit. "It's our job to investigate the facts. I'm proud of the investigation that the detectives did."

In the first case, police began investigating Tyson in mid-September, after a Las Vegas woman went to a hospital with injuries that she said were suffered when the boxer raped her at his home.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon has said the woman had been in a six-month romantic relationship with Tyson.

Police searched Tyson's $1.3 million home for more than six hours on Sept. 26 and confiscated several boxes of material, including videotapes, sheets and towels.

The second woman went to police Dec. 28 and reported that she also had been attacked at Tyson's home in November 2000. The woman initially went to police near her out-of-state home and reported that she had been raped, Las Vegas police said.

The police department the woman first contacted never reported the case to Las Vegas police, who have not identified the first agency.

In 1992, Tyson was found guilty of rape in Indiana and served three years of a 10-year sentence.

He was cleared of a sexual battery allegation raised by a woman at a Chicago nightclub in 1996 and of an allegation that he raped a woman last year in Big Bear, Calif.

Prosecutors in Las Vegas said they reviewed both of those cases.

Last month, the Nevada Athletic Commission voted to refuse Tyson a license to challenge heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis on April 6 at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

Tyson is now searching for a venue that will let him fight. The Washington D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission voted Tuesday to hold a March 12 hearing on the matter.

Another vote will be held after the hearing that could grant Tyson a license for a June 8 bout against Lewis at the MCI Center.

California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, England, Denmark and the Netherlands are among the sites floated by Tyson's supporters as possible sites.

Quote:Commission sets stage for Tyson-Lewis bout


WASHINGTON -- Mike Tyson got unanimous support from the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission -- and his fans.


After a two-hour meeting that at times resembled a pep rally, the commission voted 3-0 Tuesday night to grant the controversial heavyweight a license to box in Washington.


The vote makes the city's MCI Center the favorite to stage a Tyson bout against WBC-IBF champion Lennox Lewis on June 8.


"We looked at the application. That's what it is," commission vice chairman Michael Brown said. "It's an application for a boxing license, nothing more, nothing less.


"It would be frivolous for us to stand up here and not be concerned about Mr. Tyson's past. ... We did that, we took those things into account and made the decision we made."


The vote was no surprise. Brown had said several times that he felt the fight's potential economic benefit outweighed concerns about Tyson's past.


Brown also said the commission would not be swayed by emotional arguments. There were indeed emotional statements made by the 60 or so members of the public who spoke before the commission -- but they were all for Tyson.


"He's not coming here to give a presentation on morality," said D.C. resident Malik Waleed, amid raucous cheers by the standing-room only crowd. "This is a boxing match."


Tyson was not at the meeting. In statement released by spokesman Scott Miranda, he said was "thrilled to be licensed in Washington D.C."


"I applaud their decision and will give the fight fans in the District the fight they deserve -- the chance to see me knock out Lennox Lewis in June," Tyson said.


Brown said the next step will be to process Lewis' application, which he said could be approved in the "coming days."


Washington is competing against several sites for a Tyson-Lewis fight. Tyson also has been licensed in Tennessee, and Detroit has emerged as a front-runner among a crowded field that has attracted international interest. Other states, including Georgia and Texas, have made it clear that Tyson isn't welcome.


The search for a place for Tyson to box began Jan. 29, when Nevada turned down his license request. The commission there cited Tyson's troubled past, which includes a three-year prison sentence for rape, a one-year sentence for a road rage assault and a one-year boxing suspension for biting Evander Holyfield's ears during a fight.


The final straw for Nevada came when a melee broke out at a news conference to promote what would have been a Tyson-Lewis fight April 6 in Las Vegas.


Tyson testified live on national television at the Nevada hearing, but the Washington commission took a more low-key approach. They interviewed Tyson in private last week, then conducted medical and psychiatric tests.


"I can say that after a complete medical examination, Mr. Tyson is fit to participate in a boxing match," said Commissioner Mabel Boatwright, adding that the details of the medical report would be kept confidential.


More cheers erupted after Boatwright's statement and following the final vote by the commission, which deliberated in private for 14 minutes before making its decision.


A possible drawback to a Tyson fight in Washington would be the lack of a site fee, usually put up by casinos to stage major heavyweight fights. MCI Center owner Abe Pollin agreed to allow his arena to stage the fight after getting guarantees of security from Mayor Anthony Williams, but he will be charging rent for the event and not putting up a site fee.


"There is still a big question as to whether or not the fight ever makes it here," said Rock Newman, heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe's former manager. "Because of boxing politics, because of the economics, you just don't know."


Several anti-Tyson groups, such as the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the National Organization for Women, did not attend the meeting. Some of those opposed did express their opinions in advance in writing.


The pro-Tyson speakers evoked biblical references, cited Tyson's "right to make a living" and the fight's potential economic boost to the tourism industry. Several who spoke said the opposition was motivated by racism, with comments such as "racism is alive and well" and "this is a black and white issue."


Some started a chant of "Let Mike Fight!" minutes before the meeting began.


"Why take away his privilege to make his living?" said former middleweight champion Keith Holmes, the first speaker. "If you take away his privilege to make his living, he will still roam the earth. If you take away his privilege to make a living, then kick him off the earth."


Women's groups have frequently opposed Tyson, but the female speakers were unanimous in his support Tuesday night. One group that spoke called itself WIST -- Women In Support of Tyson -- and another was called Women Love Sports, Too.


"Not every woman feels it is insulting or appalling for Mike Tyson to fight in Washington," WIST member Leisa Butler said.

GonzoStyle Wrote:In other news Naseem Hameds long awaited return will have to wait even longer. Naseem injured his back in training camp and the fight sceduled for last weekend of march has been postponed indefinetly.