Warren washes hands of more Tyson dealings

Frank Warren yesterday insisted that he will not promote the former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson again.

Frank Warren yesterday insisted that he will not promote the former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson again.

The British Boxing Board of Control on Tuesday decided against banning Tyson from fighting in Britain, despite finding him guilty of misconduct after his 38-second win over Lou Savarese in Glasgow in June. Instead, it fined Tyson £125,000 for continuing to punch after the fight was stopped, and reprimanded him for "reprehensible" comments directed at the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council champion, Lennox Lewis, afterwards.

Warren, who promoted the Glasgow fight, said yesterday it would be the last time he became involved with Tyson. "I have to enjoy what I am doing. The last promotion [with Tyson] was hard work and no pleasure," he said. "Contrary to what people think, all promoters are not just in it for the money."

In a curious twist to Tuesday's decision, the British lawyer representing Tyson at the hearing said the former champion, who did not attend, had recorded a kind of victory. One of the misconduct charges facing Tyson related to his post-fight comments in which he said of Lewis: "I'll rip his heart out and feed it to him".

"I want your heart," Tyson added, in remarks directed at Lewis. "I want to eat your children."

The BBBC said in its ruling that it found Tyson's remarks "reprehensible" and administered a formal reprimand. But the lawyer Geoffrey Robertson said Tyson "is the first to benefit under the 1998 Human Rights Act in that he was exercising his right to freedom of speech. It's a victory for Tyson."

He said Tyson's words were "ludicrous and fantastical," designed to hype a future contest between the two and should not be taken seriously. "Not even a moron in a hurry would take the threat seriously since Lennox Lewis does not have any children," Robertson said.