He still manages to drive a BMW, though he’s quick to say that in the day he would drive Ferraris and Bentleys. The problem was he would buy several and give them away to the hangers-on that were always around in his prime but were nowhere to be seen on this day.
He owned mansions, too, and not just one. When you’re heavyweight champion of the world, you think the money will never stop flowing.
“I blank all that out of my mind,” Tyson said. “If I think or dwell on that I can’t be the person I want to be in life.”
Which is?
“A simple guy.”
Unfortunately, nothing will ever be simple for Tyson. He’s always been tormented by demons he’s been either unable or unwilling to control, and he seems as confused over his future as he was in his past.
He was embarrassed by his knockout loss to an Irish stiff named Kevin McBride the last time he got into the ring 14 months ago, and vows never to fight for real again. But here he is training next to a bank of slot machines trying to get in some kind of shape so he can make a few bucks off of his name.
It’s sad, but that’s the way it is. When I look at Tyson it’s all I can do not to picture him ending up like Joe Louis, who worked as a casino greeter and often was brought out drooling in his wheelchair to ringside so high rollers could say they saw the Brown Bomber.
People loved Louis. For some reason, they’re still fascinated with Tyson.
“People truly believe and support me,” he said. “I realized that over time. I don’t know if it’s for sympathetic reasons or just something that they can relate to me in life.”
Tyson seems happy to be talking about it, happy somebody still cares. He doesn’t really want to be doing this, but the offer of a free hotel suite and some cash brought him up from Phoenix, where he spends most of his time.
Now it’s showtime, time to walk into the casino and go to work.
“Life,” he says, “has changed so much.”
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