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Thursday, April 25
 
Police: No visible signs of injury, conflicting witnesses

Associated Press

PHOENIX -- An exotic dancer claims she was head-butted by boxer Mike Tyson during an April 7 encounter at a Phoenix strip club, according to a police report released Thursday.

Casey Paxton, 23, told police she offered to dance for Tyson, but he refused although he did offer a $10 tip, The Arizona Republic reported on its Web site.

Paxton said when she walked past Tyson later that night, he grabbed her and called her names.

She told police she was spun around by the 35-year-old former heavyweight champ and then head-butted in the area of her left eye.

The dancer's 24-year-old boyfriend, Marcus Easton Smith, claimed he approached Tyson and told him to step away from Paxton and Tyson then punched him in the chin with his left fist.

The police report said no visible injuries could be seen on either Paxton or Smith when officers arrived at the Hi-Liter Gentleman's Club about 1 a.m. and witnesses told conflicting stories about what happened.

Detective Tony Morales, a Phoenix police spokesman, said the report will be forwarded to the city prosecutor's office for a decision on whether charges would be filed.

Darrow Soll, a Phoenix-based attorney for Tyson, has called the allegations "patently false" and said several witnesses confirmed his client never struck anyone.

Soll said Tyson, who has periodically trained at a Phoenix gym the past few years, was in town on business at the time of the alleged incident.

Tyson, who served three years in an Indiana prison on a rape conviction in 1992, is scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis on June 8 in Memphis, Tenn.




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