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Tyson making new enemies in U.K.

Associated Press

LONDON-Mike Tyson ran into more trouble with women's rights groups yesterday when he reportedly called them "frustrated women who want to be men."

The former heavyweight champion also faces a fine for jogging in Hyde Park at 3 a.m.

Tyson's reported comments about women's rights groups came when a TV documentary team asked him about the campaign brought against him by Justice For Women, which 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 the women's husbands.

Tyson, who fights Britain's Julius Francis on Jan. 29 in Manchester, also used a derogatory term for gays to describe those people in general who criticize him.

The comments brought a strong response from his critics, who are angry at Home Secretary Jack Straw for allowing the fighter into Britain despite a rape conviction. He served three years of a six-year sentence on charges of raping a teen-age beauty contestant.

Julie Bindel, of Justice For Women, described Tyson as "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."

Jackie Ballard, a member of Parliament, said Tyson's reported comments proved that Straw's decision was wrong.

"Tyson is an odious man who does not know how to relate to men or women without thumping them," she said.

While the critics continued to vent their anger, Tyson ran into trouble with the law over his early morning jogging.

For three days in a row, Tyson has gone running in Hyde Park at around 3 a.m. to avoid the crowds of fans and media continually following him during the daytime.

Tyson is breaking the 1997 Royal Parks and Open Spaces Regulations. Entering the park after midnight is a criminal offense carrying a fine of $320.

Sky Television reported that a policeman 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.

Tyson was also at the center of controversy over his plans to visit London's ethnically-mixed district of Brixton on Friday. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali toured the area last year and received a hero's welcome.

"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."

On Tuesday, interest surfaced about a Tyson vs. current heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis fight.

Shelly Finkel, Tyson's boxing adviser, and Seth Abraham, president and CEO of Time Warner Sports, discussed the possibility during the Concorde flight bringing Tyson to England on Sunday.

"There are a lot of problems to overcome, but I believe Lennox against Tyson is a definite possibility," Abraham said Tuesday. "If Lennox continues to win, and if Tyson continues to win, they will fight. It is only a question of when. It would be the biggest payday of Lennox's career. It would be his pension money."

The Times of London said the fight could happen as early as September, possibly in London, but Abraham said December or the spring of 2001 is more likely.