So Iron Mike got 10 years with 4 of those, suspended. He will no
doubt serve 3 years with any luck. The question, is did he get off
too light?

171 responses total.

What's the 'average' sentence for comparable convictions?

   An interesting question.  I suppose it'll make an impression on
him, but still I wonder about the whole thing.  Not having read the
transcripts I can only hope that it is just.
   Part of me really does wonder though, if prison is the "right"
thing to do to someone like that.

From the prior sentences the judge had given out, he should have
received a six-year term.  (But, then, the media wasn't watching her,
then....)

It is hard to say what an "average" sentence is, from a national
perspective, as the law varies (sometimes enormously) between states.

The real question, now, is whether he can find a way to stay out of
jail, pending the result of his appeal....

   Is it unusual to receive a sentence and then get 40% off?  That
seems odd to me.  Why not just say six years?  Is there a mechanism
whereby those four years could be added back if the doesn't behave
himself?

(Yeeps!  Double linking to Agora!)

(this is now item 20 in worldnews. i have no comment on why it appears
twice in agora...)

re #4:  Yes.

Oops, my mistake.

    Thats a first for me--an item linked to its parent conference.

   Has Tyson ever admitted anything?  Or has he always said he was
innocent?

Tyson is most certainly not going to admit any culpability while his
appeal is pending.  (Should he get a new trial, they would use any
admission against him.  Instant conviction.)

Tyson admits to "crass" behavior, but maintains he never "hurt no one".


Yes, he got off too light.  He a much as admits that he can't understand
what's wrong with what he did--though what he did isn't in question, just
whether that constitutes rape.

I don't know if jail is the right thing to do with him, but it's too late
for a better solution.

What really turns my stomach is that this neanderthal said, and I have no
doubt believs, that he didn't 'hurt' anyone, simply because as he put it,
nobody got any "black eyes or broken ribs".  What a jerk.  IMHO, he should
gotten a lot more time, and serve every minute of it.  The guy is a time
bomb.

anyone up for starting a "Will Tyson survive jail?" pool?
B-)

i think that one's a pretty safe bet, honestly. anybody who took on tyson
barefisted would be foolish, probably even if the assailant were armed with
a knife. tyson is trained,  a very smart fighter, extremely fast, and 
bruisingly strong. even as a lethargic, standing, unmotivated target who
lost to douglas, it took douglas, who's well over 6' and about 240 lbs,
and a very good fighter, ten rounds to put tyson down. nobody in prison is
going to hurt tyson without having a very serious advantage, and such an
advantage is not likely to materialize because of iron mike's visibility.
on the other hand, somebody of tyson's speed and strength, barefisted,
could literally kill with his hands. don't forget (although tyson's not
in his league) what joe louis did to max schmeling while wearing gloves:
broke vertebrae, ruptured a kidney--in short, hospitalized him for months
in only a couple of minutes. that was with gloves. louis also hit primo
carnera so hard (again, with gloves) that carnera didn't realize he'd been
knocked down and out. carnera was a bruiser who weighed, i think, about
270 lbs. good skills and great strength make tyson very, very dangerous.
maybe one inmate will get the opportunity and and be dumb enough to try
tyson--but i feel sorry for him. i doubt it will happen more than once.

  The ONE difference between Louis and Tyson is that Louis carried himself
as a very gentle and humble man. It is truly a shame that he was reduced
in his later years to being a greeter at a Las Vegas casino.

what you say of louis's grace is true, but it doesn't go far enough...louis
was reduced to doing so because the government, after accepting all his purses
as war effort donations, hounded him for years for back taxes on money that
his manager had swindled from him.


the _other_ difference, of course, is that if a matchup were possible, louis
would have trammeled tyson completely. nobody, including foreman, ever hit as
hard as louis--i saw one clip where he knocked his opponent out with a body
puch, and more than one other where he took his opponent off
the c canvas with the force of his blow. but louis was also a superb
_boxer_, and people tend to forget that because of his awesome knockout
ability. trivia fact: every person who went the distance with louis was 
offered a rematch, and louis knocked every one of them out in each rematch.
another trivia fact: louis used to carry opponents a few rounds so the 
audience got its money's worth.

sorry out the sloppy typing. the line noise is nothing sort of insane this
evening.

Why is prize fighting legal?

Because they tried to make it illegal, but it just went underground and more
people got seriously injured than now (sorta like with alcohol).  Since
it was a losing battle (even most cops liked it and would look the other way)
they made it legal again and regulated it.

kinda like alcohol...which do you suppose has done society or more individu-
als more harm?

14
Re: 14;
 
   Prisoners will NEVER fight with their bare hands as long as they have the
access to rudimentive weaponry such as shives/knives, pipes, & socks filled 
with misc. heavy items.  Beyond this, fights usually aren't one-on-one
anyway (cultural thang).
 
 Tyson's been in the pokey before, so he knows 'what time it is.'  If he's
smart, he'll either pick someone to beat up right away to set an example, 
and/or he will offer future money for protection.
 
   The losers who pay $500 to watch the bruthas hit eachother in the squared
circle would probably pay a lot more to watch footage of Tyson's first rumble
in the can (kinda like one of WWF's cage matches), & the proceeds could go 
to a worthy cause, as long as Don King isn't allowed to be involved.

If boxing were as fun as drinking, it'd be a close call.
 
I doubt that Tyson is going to be attacked one-on-one by an unarmed person..
although somebody Tyson's size who is an experienced brawler might have a shot.

   Its legal Mary, 'cause making it illegal, just like anything else, only
makes it more dangerous for those doing it.  At least now there are *some*
protections for the participants.  Making it a back-alley sport would
take all that away.  I personally regard boxing as fairly disgusting, and
don't watch it, but there do seem to be a lot of people that enjoy  it.

Assuming Tyson's reputation outside of jail carries over, he'll
probably be quite a hero to many prisoners and won't be in
any special danger.  If anything, I'd expect him to be lionized.

   Hmmm.  I think there are rather more people who would like to hurt
him, if only for the reason that they get recorded, as opposed to the
number who would lionize him.

The whole idea behind profession boxing is training someone to be able to
deliver a concussion before being dealt a concussion.  The faster you can
take you opponent down (unconscious) the better.  For this he'll be paid
good money and respected as an athlete.  Kinda like dog fighting and cock
fighting, both of which society deems worthy of being illegal.  Go figure.

        A professional boxer's hands must be registered as a lethal weapon in
every state in the Union.  Even a flyweight professional boxer can easily
kill with a punch.  A professional boxer faces 'assault with a deadly
weapon' if he gets into a brawl.
        Tyson is not only one of the biggest and strongest boxers in the
world, but one of the best.  He is in no serious danger from any hand to
hand combat, whether his opponent carries a knife, a quarterstaff, or a
sword, unless his opponent is pretty skilled and talented, or attacks with
complete surprise.  Tyson is not cultured or educated, but he isn't
stupid, either.  I have little fear that he'll survive prison.  He'll have
friends -- who wouldn't want Tyson to be willing to protect them?
        Tyson is a gifted martial artist.  He can protect himself.

Wake up, jep! There's a big difference between professional boxing & 
fighting.
 
  I used to box, & I've been in some fights.  Fighting is mostly wrestling,
with a few punches thrown in if you're quick & lucky, & there's a big 
difference between fighting someone on the streets & close-quarters fighting
a convict in a prison.

tyson's done both. he'd brutalize a prison brawler. if you think being
trained, practised, and one of the world's premier fighters is a disad-
vantage against some dope who rushes in attempting to grapple or flailing
wildly with his arms, i know why you say you "used to box": you never
understood boxing. as with the martial arts, a person well trained in
boxing has a huge advantage over a "brawler." 

re #21: some people think it's better, since it's always somebody else
who has the hangover the next day...

        I'll bet there aren't more than 5 or 6 people on Grex who could
remain conscious and capable of hitting back after withstanding *one*
punch from Mike Tyson.  Maybe you're one of them; if so, I sure wouldn't
want to get into a fight with you!  Presumably people in prison are
tougher than most computer jocks, and might last through 2-3 punches.  As
far as wrestling, remember he's a world class athlete in good shape, and
strong even for people in his class.  And all he has to do is get in *one*
good punch.  What, do you suppose, a person could do to disable Mike Tyson
before he could fight back?  Heck, 2-3 people, assuming no weapons?  Mike
Tyson is in a lot less danger in prison than most.

Assuming no weapons is assuming *far* too much for jail.  Stabbings
are incredibly commonplace.  (We only hear about *some* of the stabbings --
those that the prison can't keep quiet.  And even those don't get
much more than a page 40 paragraph.)

 As an accomplished, professional boxer, Mike Tyson was taught to forget all
street-fighting/wrestling manoevers.  I'm sure he'll remeber them quickly, &
I certainly doubt I could shrug off a solid contact by Mike Tyson, but I'll
end my participation in this sub-topic by simply restating that there is a 
big difference between professional boxing & a prison fight.
 
  
 The news just reported that Tyson is facing disciplinary action by prison
officials for giving his autograph to fellow inmates.  He's also not eating
his food (stating he's on a diet).  He's a novelty & a celebrity right now.
Once that wears off, the trouble will begin.

actually, tyson could use the diet. i saw the pictures of him when they
took him out of the court after sentencing. he was pretty tubby.

One would wonder if Mr. Napolitano has been simularly forthcoming towards
some individuals on Grex...

Mr. Napolitano may not have been, but Mr. Tyler certainly has.

as a matter of fact, tim, i admit it: i'm pretty tubby, too.

there. another flash of burning keatsian honesty. scary sometimes, isn't it?

Keats has a huge problem with imaginary fat.

(yes. i haven't enough of it, as opposed to the real stuff.)

Maybe it's an imaginary problem with huge fat.
I'm staggered by the ramifications.

Keats is American.  Of *course* he has a problem with imaginary fat.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss