Money For Blood, And Boxer Delivered
You are Iron Mike Tyson, the boxer, the convicted rapist, the genius.
For days, now, you’ve listened to everyone talking about you. Even the president of the United States of America, the most powerful individual on Earth, is talking about you.
They call you a crazy man, a coward and even a cannibal - everything but what you are, which is a genius. It doesn’t bother you.
In one ear, out the other.
“He he,” you laugh in your squeaky Mike Tyson way.
You were to spend the greater part of Saturday night exchanging blows with Evander Holyfield, a big man who punches very hard.
It’s possible he would have pinned back your ears, so you bit off his instead. For this, you were disqualified, which meant you didn’t have to fight anymore.
“He he.”
The $30 million purse you were to collect for the bout has been held by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
It doesn’t bother you.
You have plenty of money.
Besides, you heard the commission chairman say that, as far as fines go, “We could take 10 percent (of the purse) or $250,000, whichever is greater.”
Ten percent of $30 million is $3 million, which still leaves you with $27 million.
“He he.”
It’s possible you will be suspended from professional boxing. It’s even possible you will be banned.
You don’t care.
You know the truth about the high and mighty pantywaists who are criticizing you.
You know they secretly love you and admire you.
President Clinton said, “I saw the fight, and until the biting incident happened, it was a good fight. I was horrified by it, and I think the American people are.”
If Americans are horrified, it’s only because they didn’t come up with their own easy way to make $27 million. You know that most America men would happily bite off another man’s ear for a lot less. You know that most American men would volunteer to have an ear bitten off for a lot less.
The bout’s pay-per-view audience of 2 million paid $50 per household to watch it on TV. An additional 16,331 were on hand to watch at the MGM Grand. Ringside tickets cost $1,500.
The deal was the same as always - money in exchange for blood.
You delivered.
If anything, you created even more excitement, even more potential profit, for a third fight with Holyfield.
Not that you need the money.
You already own huge estates in Nevada and Ohio and Connecticut.
You’ve put the Connecticut property up for sale. It has 56,000 square feet, 20 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, an indoor Olympic-size pool, basketball court, shooting range, movie theater and guest house.
You’re asking $22 million.
“He he.”
You are the embodiment of the modern American dream.
You defy the laws of the land and the laws of physics. You’ve gotten to the top without ever leaving the bottom. You’ve gone even higher by going lower.
America didn’t go with you.
America was already there.
America waited while you sat in prison for rape. America will wait for you, now.
You knew this when you called a press conference and apologized for what you did to Holyfield.
You knew this as you said you’ll seek psychiatric help and accept any punishment the boxing commission deems appropriate.
You’ll wait and see what happens. You’ll wait to see if authorities attempt to charge you criminally or revoke your parole and send you back to prison.
You don’t care what they do to you. You’ll survive, no matter what. You are Iron Mike Tyson, the boxer, the convicted rapist, the genius.
You’ll play it by ear.
“He, he.”
xxxx