Tyson verdict reflects boxing's flaws - Mike Tyson's history of risky behavior and lack of control makes him more marketable

I can say that after a complete medical examination, Mr. Tyson is fit to participate in a boxing match." These are the words of Mabel Boatwritght, the commissioner of the D.C. Boxing and Wresting commission, upon approving Mike Tyson's bid for a license to box in the nation's capital. So, from the city that brought you the first crack-smoking mayor, here comes Tyson vs. Lewis.

This week's licensing hearing followed in the footsteps of its predecessors as being a complete sham. Over 60 witnesses lined up to give testimony, all of them in support of Iron Mike.

Former middleweight champion Keith Holmes proclaimed that Tyson "will still roam the Earth" if the commission denied the license. Several started a chant of "Let Mike Fight!" minutes before the meeting started. To top things off, a few supporters said that opposition to Tyson was motivated by racism, with comments such as "racism is alive and well" and "this is a black and white issue." Of course, Kid Dynamite wasn't even present during the proceedings.

The hearing, whose result will allow Tyson to battle Lennox Lewis come June 8, was a farce not just because of the idiotic testimony, or the unbelievably ironic final proclamation made by the commissioner.

Afterall, the only people who are not medically fit to participate in a boxing match are those who can't throw a punch or take a punch. In fact, the whole point of a boxing match is to leave participants medically unfit to do anything.

This proceeding was a farce simply because it existed. The same thing applies to the Nevada examination, which ended with a result opposite to that the latest decision.

What exactly is the question that these commissions are trying to figure out? Is anybody unaware of what Mike has done? When Tyson's name is mentioned, is there anybody who immediately has thoughts of Disney World and puppies?

Here is a list of questions concerning Mike Tyson, which I will graciously answer for all to see.

Is Mike Tyson capable of putting up a good fight in the ring? Yes. Is Mike Tyson capable of making lots of money for lots of people by boxing? Yes. Has Mike Tyson ever acted in a completely irrational and violent manner? Yes. Does Mike Tyson have emotional problems? Yes. Is Mike Tyson a convicted rapist? Yes. Is there at least a speck of good within Mike Tyson? Yes. Will Mike Tyson ever again be a threat to himself or anyone else? Yes.

There you go. It's just as simple as that. But what is most important to understand about these questions is that with the exception of the first two, they are completely irrelevant. Now, it might be argued that a person's background, behavior and possible future transgressions should be deemed relevant by a sporting commission because these characteristics may affect the image of the sport. I would certainly agree with this notion if the sport were baseball, football, basketball, or any other sport besides boxing.

Boxing is a sport in which two men, and now sometimes woman, attempt to beat the opponent into submission by punching him in the head and body. It's just as simple as that. Exactly what part of this sport is designed to exhibit a good image?

I am not anti-boxing. Although I do not follow the sport extremely closely, I try to never miss a big championship fight. But anybody who watches boxing will have to at some point admit, unless they fancy denial, that they like to watch people get punched in the face and fall to the ground in a complete stupor. I suppose it tickles something in the dark side of our nature.

When you think about boxing in terms of what it really is, it's completely ridiculous to think that anybody would question a man's integrity or past before letting him into the ring. Instead, the worse a guy is, the more enthusiastic we all should be about letting him fight.

A ticking time bomb of range and violence is exactly what everybody who is interested in the fight wants to see. In the end, this is exactly what happens. Mike Tyson never has, and never will be, completely shut out of a boxing license.

Perhaps the nature of the sport was most clearly exposed by the storied license stripping of Mohammad Ali. "The Greatest" was forced to forfeit his title and was not allowed to fight for four years because he refused to be drafted into the army during Vietnam. In this case, the powers that be in the boxing world felt that Ali's unwillingness to kill people made him unworthy to punch people. Now, that's pretty revealing.

Several years after Ali was allowed back, he fought Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight title in the "Thrilla in Manila." It lasted 14 rounds. Both fighters absolutely pummeled each other. The contest finally ended when Frazier was forced to give up because both of his eyes had swelled shut.

Ali was so exhausted and battered, he proclaimed that the fight had brought him as close to death as he had ever been. Not surprisingly, the contest was labeled one of the cornerstones of boxing.

Much of boxing is a contradiction. Announcers wearing tuxedos call the action as blood spurts from cuts on the competitors.

Middle-aged men, who tell their children that violence is not the answer, yell and scream for one fighter to beat the life out of another. These are ironies that have long been accepted.

But never before have we seen such an absurd paradox as these licensing "hearings." Quite simply, they are a search for answers of which everybody is already fully aware. Mike Tyson lives much of his life out of control. But because he often brings his violent ferocity into the ring, he has become one of the most electrifying fighters of all time.

As they say, you deal with the whole package. There is no need for a commission to remind us of what Mike Tyson has brought to the table over the last 18 years. After all, it's impossible to forget that which truly enthralls us.