'Baddest Man on the Planet' is back to being a nice guy

The first time I met Mike Tyson was outside the VIP lounge at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, in the fall of 1988.

I was traveling with Canadian heavyweight contender Ken Lakusta and as we waited for a connecting flight, Iron Mike emerged from a media maelstrom on the adjoining concourse and made a beeline for the nearest security exit.

But when he saw Lakusta, a one-time sparring partner, the self-declared 'Baddest Man on the Planet' did an abrupt about-face and rushed over to greet us with bear hugs, like we were long lost relatives.

"You believe this?" he lisped in that high-pitched Brooklyn twang, gesturing at the horde of reporters.

"It's the same thing everywhere I go. They're gonna drive me crazy!"

Fast forward two years. Tyson, now a force of nature the likes of which boxing hadn't witnessed since Sonny Liston's reign of terror, was in Edmonton, Canada, training for a title defense against Razor Ruddock.

A palatial private estate had been rented for the champ and his entourage, and on the night they took possession I was invited to go along for the ride.

Having conducted a lengthy interview with Tyson in the limo, I assumed our time together was over. He'd been alternately surly and surprisingly candid during our 40-minute chat, but when we arrived at the estate he graciously asked if I'd like to watch some fight films with his crew.

A big box of VHS cassettes materialized, and for the next couple of hours, as grainy images of Liston, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Jack Dempsey danced across the screen, the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history held court, expertly analyzing and critiquing what we were watching.

Shortly after the last video ended, Tyson the erudite analyst was replaced by his more familiar - and menacing - thug persona when an offhand comment from one of his cronies triggered a tangent about "media parasites". It was my cue to make a judicious exit.

In retrospect, that night was a mini foreshadowing of Tyson's 30-year odyssey from shy fistic prodigy to Public Enemy No 1, global pop culture icon, Broadway headliner and B movie actor.

Now he has reinvented himself again - hopefully for the last time - as the friendly face and folksy frontman for Iron Mike Productions.

On Friday night he'll make his promotional debut at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, when Canada's Arash Usmanee (20-1) challenges IBF super featherweight champion Argenis Mendez (21-2) of Argentina.

"I'm thrilled to be bringing my first fight as Iron Mike Productions to Turning Stone and ESPN," Tyson said during an international media conference call last week.

"Upstate New York is very special to me and brings back nostalgic memories of when I was an amateur on the rise. I want to be there to guide my fighters as they take these same stepping stones in their quest for greatness."

When asked how much savvy he can pass on to the fighters he promotes, Tyson was brutally honest.

"Hey, I'm in no position to stop someone from hurting themselves; only thing I can tell them is what I experienced, how you can go crazy over that stuff," he said.

"Other than that, I can't do anything. I'm not a magician. I'm not a hit man. I can't make someone do anything. Only thing I can do is suggest.

"I'm not going to get on the phone and say I'm going to stop these guys from getting high and blowing their money.

"I don't know if I can do that. This stuff is bigger than me.

"I just know one thing - you're never going to hear my fighters say that Mike Tyson ever stole from them. And hopefully they will never end up like me when it's all over and say, 'Where's my money and my friends? Oh man, I'm a goner.' They won't have to do that stuff."

It seemed unlikely all those years ago when he strode the world stage like Gilgamesh, laying waste to everything around him, but today, at age 47, it sounds like Iron Mike has finally grown up.

Best of luck in your new venture, champ. It's good to have you back.

Murray Greig is a Canadian author and copy editor. He can be contacted at murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn