SHANGHAI, China - Mike Tyson may have been world heavyweight champion, but it doesn't look like he'll ever be a citizen of Luodian.

The Shanghai suburb's city fathers decided to withdraw an offer of honorary citizenship to the boxer, deciding that his controversial reputation made him a poor choice for the award, local newspapers reported Friday.

Members of the community had argued that the honor "would be inappropriate," Luodian's vice mayor, Wang Qiquan, was quoted as saying by the Shanghai Daily.

"For one thing, it will be the first time Tyson has even visited our town, and he has never made any other contribution. He has also been involved in too many legal and sporting scandals," Wang said.

There was no immediate comment from Tyson, who was in Shanghai to open a nightclub and visit sites in the city, China's commercial hub. Earlier reports said Tyson, 39, was scheduled to play a round of celebrity golf with local officials in Ludian, but it wasn't known if that game was to go ahead.

Luodian officials had apparently hoped making Tyson a citizen would attract attention to their district, an industrial area north of the city.

Tyson once served three years in prison on a rape charge and famously bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in their 1997 title bout.

His boxing career appeared to end when he quit following the sixth round after desperately trying to foul his way to a win against unheralded Irish fighter Kevin McBride last year.

Since then, Tyson has made a series of endorsements and personal appearances, in a bid to pay off debts of more than US$30 million (euro25 million). In September, he traveled to the war-torn Russian region of Chechnya to open a boxing tournament.