Can Mike Tyson Overcome His Personal Demons

More Than a Career Hangs In The Balance

If Mike Tyson were to have it his way, the world would be his shoulder to lean on. It's where the former heavyweight champion of the world, whose self-esteem tends to drift as low as Andrew Golota's bodyshots, could finally find the approval he has been searching for all these years.

Violins, please.

Nobody knows the troubles Mike Tyson has seen.

Nobody knows his sorrow.

Tyson appears to e at wits' end. Is he emotionally stable? Does that stability depend on boxing? And if so, where will he be five to 10 years after he retires?

In his present state, Tyson comes across as schizophrenic. His bouts with depression, violent mood swings, and anti-social behavior at time when his career could have depended on him presenting a positive image might well indicate a bleak psychological future. He admits he's uncomfortable with fame, which only compounds matters for his already fragile psyche.

"Fame, while it's really sought-after commodity, is also very stressful because there are no longer any boundaries," said Dr. Toni Leonetti, founder and president of Human Potential International. "It's only natural. Many famous people are uncomfortable with that part of it. It elevates the level of stress and depersonalization. People who are in that position find it difficult and need some professional help to still retain their self-worth and self-respect."

In spite of his latest public outbursts, a report by a team of six doctors, released October 13, declared to the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Tyson is fit to return to the ring, despite that two doctors said Tyson snapped at them in separate instances and indicated a "wish" to harm one of them at one point.

"However, at no time did this evaluator feel physically threatened or endangered," Dr. David Medoff, who was interviewing Tyson at the time, wrote to the lead physician, Dr. Ronald Schouten.

Not everyone is convinced.

"The guy is not stable," said Dr. Ronald Kamm, a New Jersey - based psychologist who has treated athletes for 25 years. "We know that from what happened in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We know that from what happened in New Jersey before the athletic commission."

Tyson has been accused of punching one man and kicking another in the groin after a traffic accident in Maryland on August 31. Although Tyson has denied striking anyone, his lawyers are trying to settle the matter out of court. And who could forget how he reacted angrily to the detailed and intense questioning in New Jersey when he initially tried to get a license to fight again?

If Tyson can't handle the questions that are asked of him by commissioners, how can he possibly handle the even more demanding questions asked of him in the ring? The first two times he was severely tested, he was knocked out by buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield. On the third occasion, he didn't wait. He knew he didn't have any answers. He resorted to what Kamm called "classic prison behavior" when he bit chunks from Holyfield's ears in 1997.

The psychiatric report that was delivered to the Nevada commission raised questions amid its answers. As Kamm points out, the report determined that Tyson does not need medication to treat his condition, but needs "regular psychotherapy" about once a week.

"Even though they say he doesn't need medication, that's pretty intensive for someone who [according to the report] doesn't have a problem," said Kamm, who thinks medication shouldn't be ruled out so quickly.

Being a boxer makes Tyson's anger problem even more sensitive.

"With a boxer, you're dealing with someone who has the ability to be aggressive and extremely violent, Kamm said. "I don't know if [the doctors who examined Tyson] know boxing. Boxers are different. Boxing was one area where he could show some mastery. Holyfield took that away from him."

Reading between the lines, it seems Tyson does not want to fight again. Every time he has a chance to vindication, he punches himself in the mouth. Why else would he bare his deepest and most disturbing thoughts in a boneheaded interview with Playboy shortly before the commission voted on his reinstatement. As he told the magazine, "I expect the worst to happen to me in my life. I expect that one day somebody will blow my brains out." Or what about this gem: "I know I'm going to blow one day.I'm just really angry these days. Really, really angry."

Tyson's lead attorney, Jim Jimmerson, must've choked on his corn flakes the morning that hit the newsstands.

"That's a real cry for help for people who have that inner feeling." Leonetti said. "He should continue to be evaluated for that to stay in touch with a support system. Medication can be vital to reestablish the chemical balance that is lost."

"If he's telling us all he's going to do this, we'd be idiots not to see it coming," added clinical psychologist Robert R. Butterworth, Ph.D.

"It could be he's doing that - unconsciously - on purpose. He really doesn't want to fight," concluded Kamm.

Tyson, who has taken antidepressants such as Zoloft, has been reaching out for help for 32 years. According to the report: "Tyson's changes from normal mood to anger seem to be triggered by his belief that he's being used, victimized, and treated unfairly. When this occurs, he becomes defensive and uses his anger to push people away. These mood shifts are responsive to intervention, structure, and clear expectations."

But does that mean he' a loon"

"Crazy is if he thought he's a man from mars," said Butterworth. "He's not crazy. He doesn't have the ability to hold back his rage. He has a severe emotional problem. In a sense, though, you've got to admire his honesty."

Maybe disillusioned is a better word. This si the same man who declared that during his four-year prison stay fro rap all he did ws read books (yet he failed to make the grad for GED). He also said that he'd become a much more humble and worldly man, no longer full of the anger and love for material wealth that had landed him behind bars. He said that he found spiritual guidance and inner peace. But when was the last time he has openly praised Allah, especially in the animated fashion he displayed after knocking out Frank Bruno?

Tyson was so convinced of his new beginning that he conned himself. Still, upon his release from prison, he continued to run with the same old dogs - Don King, John Horne, Rory Holloway, foul-mouthed Crocodile, et al, and has been flea-infested ever since. While Tyson openly expressed his desire to change and his distrust of the parasites around him, they fed his self-destructive, me-against-the-world appetite, and he didn't have the emotional strength to break away.

Apparently, nobody on Team Tyson cared enough or had the capacity to help him deal with the demons that trouble him. Maybe Tyson should have known better. But maybe he's too lost to understand his predicament. Whatever the story, the bottom line is that he's a shell of his former self and he's facing a reported $13-million IRS lien. Now he has more attorneys (and fees) than hangers-on. It's enough to tip any sane person off-balance.

Tyson's former handlers, Bill Cayton and the late Jim Jacobs, realized the need to keep him active. The structure and repetition didn't allow him to deviate, and kept him focused. In the 10 years since that link was severed, Tyson's behavior has deteriorated. And if Jimmerson's take on his client's psychiatric evaluation is actually sincere, he should consider undergoing five days of testing, too.

"I was very pleasantly surprised," Tyson's lawyer told the Las Vegas Sun. "This is a hard-hitting report, and it's a favorable report. It shows he's not suffering from any psychological disorders, and it deems him to be mentally fit."

Sorry, Jim, but let's be realistic and get something straight. Tyson is a head case. He admits it. The doctors admitted it, though their conclusion is inconsistent because it tries to serve both interests. The question is, at his rate of deterioration, how low will Tyson sink if he reaches age 40?

"Sonny Liston," snapped Kamm.

Sounds crazy? Let's hope.

By Johnnie Whitehead
Johnnie Whitehead, a sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel, is a frequent contributor to this magazine.
Ring Magazine
February 1999

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