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Wednesday, January 19
 
Tyson insults women's rights groups

Associated Press

LONDON -- All in a day's work for the fighter who bills himself as "The Baddest Man on the Planet."

Mike Tyson insulted a women's group, was threatened with a summons, assailed a "money-hungry" American culture and expressed a preference to live in Europe.

Tyson is an odious man who does not know how to relate to men or women without thumping them.
Jackie Ballard, member of Parliament

And there is still considerable time to go before his fight with Julius Francis in Manchester on Jan. 29.

The former heavyweight champion is chased by fans and media whenever he leaves his five-star hotel a short walk from Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday, he shook hands with fans through the hotel gates.

Tyson, who faces a fine for jogging in Hyde Park at 3 a.m., also offered a critique of life in the United States.

"Everybody in America is so money hungry," he said. "It's like a rat race and even when you win, you are still a freaking rat."

Tyson's reported comments about women's rights groups came when a TV documentary team asked him about Justice For Women, the group that wants him banned from Britain because of his 1992 rape conviction.

"They are just a bunch of frustrated women who want to be men," Tyson reportedly said.

He also made a crude comment about their husbands and used a derogatory term for those who criticize him.

His critics are angry at Home Secretary Jack Straw for allowing the fighter into England. Tyson served three years of a six-year sentence for raping a teen-age beauty pageant contestant.

Julie Bindel of Justice For Women called Tyson "the scum of the earth."

"This man absolutely has no respect for women," she said. "He is a misogynist of the worst kind. We would have slightly more sympathy for him if he had ever apologized to his victim or donated any of his millions to rape charities."

Tyson also has had trouble with the law over his early morning jogging. For three straight days, Tyson has run in Hyde Park to avoid the daytime crowds that trail him.

But that is in violation of the 1997 Royal Parks and Open Spaces Regulations. Entering the parks after midnight is a criminal offense carrying a fine of $320.

Sky Television reported that a police officer saw Tyson and his entourage in the park but chose not to arrest him. However, he will be served with a fine, the report said.

On boxing matters, Tyson spoke after his training session and suggested that Francis is hyping himself as a tough guy. The British heavyweight champion spent time behind bars for fighting at a soccer game.

"Oh, he's in a lot of trouble," Tyson said. "I heard him, he's talking a lot of smack about all he's going to do -- he's been to prison, OK. All right, we're going to see."

Tyson also said how much he preferred living in Europe.

"I wanted to move here when I first came to Milan in 1989-90. I wanted to stay," he said. "Why do I have to be a stranger in my own country and have to come over here to be respected?"

"There is a different frame of thinking (in Europe)," he added. "You have to understand Europe has been around ... since Atilla the Hun and since before Christ. America is not developed enough or sophisticated enough to deal with the sensitivity of human beings."

When Tyson left his hotel in the afternoon with fight promoter Frank Warren by his side, he walked to the huge gates at the entrance to the parking lot to greet adoring fans.

On Friday, Tyson plans to visit London's ethnically mixed district of Brixton, a neighborhood Muhammad Ali toured last year.

"Muhammad Ali was welcomed here as an inspiration and role model to us all," said Jim Dickson, leader of Lambeth Council, which covers Brixton.

"Tyson is a pariah and definitely is not welcome here. He has been allowed into the country to train, fight and then leave as soon as possible. He has got no business here in Brixton."




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