LAS VEGAS–For the first time ever, you can go to watch Mike Tyson perform here and be safe wearing a white shirt or white dress. The controversial former world heavyweight champion, now a much more mellow fellow at age 45, begins a six night run with his “Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth” show Friday night at the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino. The venue may seem to familiar to fight fans and it should be as so many of Tyson’s prefight press conferences took place inside the cozy theater tucked inside the heart of the casino floor. You could have a bloody good time nonetheless at the Tyson Being Tyson carnival even though the only punches the former juvenile delinquent will be throwing will be punch lines. Instead of banging heads with and then chomping down on Evander Holyfield’s ears as though they were pieces of delectable sashimi, now Tyson is competing for the entertainment dollar on The Strip with Penn & Teller, Drew Carey, Celine Dion and David Copperfield. A check of the MGM website Friday morning showed good seats available for the abbreviated run at which photos and videos will accompany Tyson’s spiel about his checkered life and ring career. Seeing and hearing Tyson up close and personal will set you back $118 before any bribes you may offer to an usher to get closer to the chomping champ. That’s competitive with the prices for most Vegas acts. For those who might not be satiated by Tyson’s stage presentation, the Tabu disco inside the MGM is touting a Tyson After Party after his 8 pm Saturday night stage show. No, he will not be signing earlobes but who really knows with the mercurial fighter turned suburban Henderson husband and father? I’m hoping to check Tyson’s gig out although I’m really in town to see Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and Filipino lightweight contender Mercito Gesta fight Saturday night at MGM sister property Mandalay Bay. The cocky, always combative Rios faces Cuban upstart Richard Abril, a self-nominated replacement for countryman Yuriorkis Gamboa, in a PPV co-feature. The other co-feature has Manny Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez fighting in the friendly confines of Mexico City with an eye to making a fourth Marquez-Pacman bout. Pacquiao-Marquez IV is a great idea for the promoters and Marquez but Juan Ma remains a ring puzzle for Pacquiao. Marquez promoter Fernando Beltran is waxing enthusiastic about doing their fourth fight in the Mexican capital but I agree with Pacman’s initial reaction to a fourth tango. “Would you want to see the same movie four times?” In the meantime, Pacquiao fights unbeaten Tim Bradley at the MGM on June 9 while unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. faces reliable Miguel Cotto in the same ring May 5. There’s an only in Vegas thought…maybe Mayweather makes a cameo appearance in Tyson’;s tour de force?
