Tyson: Valley is home

Ex-champ aims for new start under the sun

Tim Koors/The Arizona Republic

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson hands out Thanksgiving turkeys Tuesday at the Madison Square Garden gym in Phoenix.

A snowbird bearing free turkeys has landed in the Valley.

Mike Tyson says he's here for good.

Tyson said the Valley was his new home Tuesday after he handed out 200 Thanksgiving turkeys to poor kids and families at Madison Square Garden, a central Phoenix gym where the former heavyweight champion plans to train for his first fight since he bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear in June 1997.

"Coming to Arizona gives me a a start, a brand new start in life," said Tyson, who was flanked by former Suns forward Charles Barkley, former Diamondbacks outfielder Devon White and other prominent athletes who live in the Valley. "I plan to start my new life, from Day One, right here in Arizona."

For now, the exact zip code is unknown. Tyson said he has been living in Scottsdale for about the past month while commuting to and from the gritty gym on West Van Buren Street.

Throughout his turbulent career, Tyson has been introduced before the opening bell as a heavyweight from the Catskills, the mountains in upstate New York where he once trained for the late Cus D'Amato.

But the Catskills are an old address, said Tyson, who has since maintained homes in Las Vegas, Cleveland and Connecticut. Then he did his best imitation of ring announcer Michael Buffer.

"Representing Scottsdale, Arizona, in the red corner: Mike Tyson," he yelled.

However, Tyson later said that Scottsdale might be too upscale for his tastes, which were forged on the mean streets of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

Tim Koors/The Arizona Republic

Valley residents line up Tuesday outside a Phoenix gym to get a turkey from once and future boxer Mike Tyson.

A better reflection of his roots are the gritty barrios that surround Phoenix's Madison Square Garden, on West Van Buren Street near 17th Avenue, said the fighter, who has earned more than $100 million in a career that was interrupted by a prison term.

And after Tyson's ear-biting incident last year, he is looking at another comeback with some support in the Valley.

"I'm a fan and a friend," ex-Suns star Barkley said. "I think this is his best mental shape in 10 years. He was young when bad things happened to him. He had bad people around him. I think now he has good people with him. Now, he's going to appreciate things more than he ever has."

Barkley said he was not attempting to be an adviser, unlike former Los Angeles Lakers' star Magic Johnson, who spoke at Tyson's relicensing hearing last month before the Nevada Atletic Commission as if he were a manager.

"I don't want anything from him," Barkley said. "Everybody always wants something from him. I just want the best for him. The No. 1 thing I want is that, when he retires, he's at peace with himself and is financially set."

Tyson has yet to start serious sparring. However, he has been hitting bags and shadowboxing in drills that have been directed by a Holyfield cornerman, Tommy Brooks, who is expected to be introduced as Tyson's new trainer.

His comeback is projected for Jan. 16 against South African Frans Botha at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.

An official announcement of the bout is expected at a news conference next week in New York, according to Tyson adviser Shelly Finkel, who blamed contract details for a postponement of the first news conference a couple of weeks ago.

However, Tyson left no doubt that he was preparing for Botha.

"I think there's a possibility I'll take a bath in his blood when we fight on January 16th," he said.