Word: tyson
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...this Tyson, the Tyson of legend, is on trial here, as much for his behavior on the job as on the town. The heavyweight champ in title or spirit, Tyson is an imposing villain, for he seems beyond evil or humanity -- soul- free. Look for the black heart beneath the black stare, and find the creepiest thing: nothing. Punishment without guilt. After a 1986 TKO of Jesse Ferguson, Tyson said matter-of-factly, "I tried to punch him and drive the bone of his nose back into his brain." Nice analysis, Professor Death...
Purged of moral compunctions, Tyson is what scholars of the blood sport call a pure fighter. This is atavistic manhood, stripped of all weapons but fists, guile and will. A man-beast-machine: hunter, warrior, conqueror, terminator. Even lover. The other guy in the ring is Tyson's partner -- a heavy date -- as well as an opponent; Iron Mike must find the man's rhythms, whims, indulgences, weak spots. A fight with Tyson at his physical and emotional peak is like a brisk courtship that ends in slaughter...
...question now facing 12 Indianapolis jurors is this: What is a real Tyson courtship like? For a living -- oh, and a lavish one -- Tyson hurts people. What does he do for fun? According to tabloid tabulations, he has been cited as a pincher, threatener and "serial buttocks fondler" of women. His ex- wife, actress Robin Givens, accused him of brutality. His former friend, New York State Athletic Commission chairman Jose Torres, said Tyson boasted of all-night sexual marathons with two dozen prostitutes. The popular take on Tyson is that he sees women as nothing more than trophies, punching bags...
...Give Tyson a break for a second and hope he can make the distinction between life and sport, between what he is and what he does -- what he has been trained, molded, programmed to achieve since he was a 13-year-old reform- school rehab project for fight manager Cus D'Amato. Tyson can't be convicted for the role he plays or the work he chooses. And in the half of his life devoted to boxing, he has attracted mentors, sportswriters and, yes, Givens with evidence of softness, hints of heart: the odd fluty pitch of his voice...
When the tiny, very pretty freshman from Providence College took the stand, Tyson finally had to cede his searchlight-spotlight to a co-star. At that moment the sense of the procedure finally shifted from a test of a celebrity's mettle, or the dilemma of Tyson the legend vs. Tyson the man, to a familiarly tragic story of men's dangerous urges and women's rightful fears...