Time to Sink Some Teeth Deep Into Tyson Debacle

The appeal of Mike Tyson has always been his raw, animal nature, perhaps speaking to some primordial spirit in men. Yet now everyone seems so shocked by his behavior. Why? When faced with intense fear, animals bite.

EUNICE HENRY

Irvine

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The commotion surrounding the brutal attack on Evander Holyfield by Mike Tyson is somewhat confusing. Are we really so shocked that a convicted rapist would commit such a horrific act? What did we think Tyson looked like in that hotel room the night he raped Desiree Washington?

KIMBERLY GRIMES

Arcadia

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So Mike Tyson has apologized for biting Holyfield’s ears. Now if he would apologize to the woman he raped, maybe we could start viewing him as a man instead of a cowardly thug.

RICH VARENCHIK

Valencia

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Mike Tyson should consider his late-night snack on Evander Holyfield’s ear to be the last meal of a condemned pugilist. When added to his rape conviction and his alleged attack on a peace officer at the fight, this bit of unsportsmanlike cannibalism shows a complete inability to act like a decent human being. It is time to bar Tyson from the sport before he tarnishes boxing any further.

PAT PARKER

Los Angeles

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If Jim Murray thinks Tyson’s bite is the low point in pugilism, I think it’s the high point in a low sport. What? You think biting is dishonorable in a contest that invites death? If Iron Mike had decked Holyfield with a killer punch, leaving the champ dead on the canvas, Tyson would have been deified. Instead he bites like an angry dog--injecting cartoon humor into a show profession--and he is crucified.

What evil do we celebrate?

RHYS THOMAS

Van Nuys

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What shocks me is not that Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield--but that he wasn’t disqualified the first time he did it. In what venue other than sports do you get two chances to commit assault and battery?

FRED SCHOR

Los Angeles

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In his statement, Mike Tyson expresses the hope that he will be able to redeem himself when his doctors and his God, among others, tell him he is ready to do so. Perhaps he should consult Evander Holyfield’s doctors and God for a second opinion.

JAN FRODESEN

Santa Barbara

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If Mike Tyson is truly sorry, he can demonstrate it by giving his $27-million purse to charity. He can choose his favorite charity, perhaps a shelter for battered women (or battered boxers). This is about as likely to happen as O.J. Simpson is likely to find the real killer of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

HAL SWANSON

Agoura

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Although I have never been a fan of boxing, I note that no longer do we have to endure the gender slur, “You fight like a girl. You bite and kick.” Now, contempt for cowardly, inept fighting can be dismissed with, “You fight like Mike Tyson.”

JUDITH S. JORDAN

San Bernardino

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I don’t think I heard Mike Tyson clearly. Did he say, “I just snapped,” or “I just snacked”?

LISALEE ANNE WELLS

Long Beach

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Atta boy, Mike. If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em.

DANNY SANCHEZ

Westminster

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At 31, it seems Tyson is still teething.

BOB HALFF

Beverly Hills

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I was as shocked and horrified as anyone else when Tyson bit Holyfield’s ears. I was, therefore, quite relieved when Tyson explained that he was protecting himself and his family when he was biting. Certainly we can all sympathize with Mike, who only wanted to make sure he could earn a living so that he could raise his children. Everyone knows how difficult it is these days to raise a family when your investment portfolio is only $100 million or so.

JOSEPH S. FISCHBACH

Beverly Hills

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What do think might be more scary to a child?

a) Seeing your dad with a cut eyelid?

b) Knowing that your dad bit a chunk of a guy’s ear off?

CHARLIE LOMBARDO

Burbank

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Should he be or not be banished from boxing because he bit off an ear or because he raped? In a civilized society, this should not be a dilemma.

D.A. PAPANASTASSIOU

Pasadena

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I disagree on points made regarding Mike Tyson. This is not to justify what he did. However, because Tyson acted wrong doesn’t make angels of everyone else. Nobody comes out clean in this.

1. Mills Lane should have halted the fight after the first bite. Didn’t.

2. Injured, Tyson should have thrown in the towel instead of biting. Didn’t.

3. Lane should have ruled strongly regarding the butt. Didn’t.

4. Evander Holyfield should have kept his head away from Tyson’s. Didn’t.

ALLEN LOW

Los Angeles

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Tyson knew he wasn’t going to beat Holyfield, so instead of being a two-time loser, or throwing in the towel, he commits the double foul. Why? For this rematch, $30 million. He figured the next rematch would be $60 million.

He gambled. I hope he lost.

ANGIE PAPADAKIS

Rancho Palos Verdes