Mike Tyson is truly out of control. Call me slow-witted if you must, but it has taken me until tonight to finally come to this conclusion. Sure, we've seen him convicted of rape, attempting to break opponents' arms, reveal his intent to "push (Jesse Ferguson's) nosebone into his brain" and nibbling Evander Holyfield's ears like snacks, yet excuses were always made. The rape case may have been unjust, the Ferguson comment was mere over-exuberance and the 'bite of the century' was in response to Holyfield's head-butting, or so we were expected to believe. We wondered whether Tyson was just a misunderstood ghetto superstar, an essentially human amalgam of strengths and weaknesses. Tonight, however, the penny finally dropped and reality stepped forth to sobering effect.

After dispatching Lou Savarese with almost-comical ease, Tyson proceeded to behave in a manner that was anything but humorous. As referee John Coyle flung himself in front of the hapless Savarese, in an attempt to signal the end of the fight, Tyson, unsatisfied by his truncated discharge of punishment, decided that his work was not yet complete. Seemingly oblivious to the referees presence, he continued to batter the fallen fall-guy, even clipping Mr Coyle's bare scalp at one stage. When he finally decided to abandon his assault, Tyson's arm was lifted and he had officially bested a credible (on paper, at least) opponent in just 38 seconds.

With his permanently volcanic features enveloped in sweat and destructive adrenaline still flowing, Tyson then verbally lambasted the Showtime microphone of Jim Gray. During a rambling and forceful monologue, Tyson in turn praised Allah, paid tribute to a deceased friend and vowed to eat Lennox Lewis' children (which may prove difficult, as Lennox doesn't have any).                                                                                   

Insanity.                                                                                                                           Branding his style "impetuous" and his defense "impregnable" Tyson's implacable rant merely made him look impish, impervious to reality and implied that he is about to implode. Name-checking Jack Dempsey and Sonny Liston, Tyson concluded that he is, in fact "The most brutal, vicious and ruthless fighter there's ever been".

What made Tyson's behavior so abnormal is the fact that, just seconds after the incendiary tirade on Showtime, he turned to Ian Darke of Sky TV in Britain and gave an interview which was in stark contrast to the one previous. Sounding honest and *gasp* almost amiable, Tyson thanked Sky and fight journalist Michael Katz for publicizing the recent death of his Brooklyn friend. When asked if he was back to his best, Tyson, who had just proclaimed himself the "best ever" now decided "No, I'm nothing, I wasn't in any shape. I caught him with a left hook, but I'll be better next time". Only when the topic of Lennox Lewis was raised did the schizophrenic Tyson revert to his demented mindstate "He wants me now, 'cos I'm rusty but when I'm at my best no-one can stop me. I'm gonna rip out his heart and feed it to him".

Such 'charming' commentary may endear Tyson to the human algae whom he seems to be impersonating, but to anyone with a genuine interest in his mental health such behavior can only be viewed as alarming. Ever since his once idyllic partnership with Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton disintegrated in 1998, Tyson's life has been a washing-machine swirl of emotions, a rollercoaster ride without the seatbelts. At almost 34 years of age his tempestuous existence shows no sign of becoming 'normal', in fact he is as unstable now, both inside and outside the ring, as he was at any stage previously. Midweek reports of fisticuffs between Tyson and the fight's promoter Frank Warren were not denied by  a haggard-looking Warren who finally made an appearance at ringside, after being conspicuous by his absence throughout the week of the event.

Boxing wise, the painfully brief joust with Savarese proved nothing other than Tyson will continue to feast on heavyweight boxing's lesser lights like a ravenous shark in a crowded swimming pool. The punches which dispatched lifeless Lou bore all the hallmarks of the Tyson of old, yet on this scant evidence it is impossible to gauge just how good the erstwhile 'baddest man on the planet' really is during these, his twilight years in the ring. A proposed match with Lennox Lewis will surely materialize at some stage (most likely in 2001). In such a high-pressure bout, Tyson's fragile temperament, habitually exposed against Savarese, will likely raise its ugly head again once Tyson realizes his foe is not likely to fold like a deck chair. The consequences of another bout of bizarre behavior by Tyson may prove the final straw to a disenchanted public and media who have slowly learned to equate the phrase 'Tyson fight' with the noun 'farce'.

Tyson's Jerry Springer-like freakshow will trundle on and more fans will surely pay to watch the worlds most enigmatic heavyweight. The Tyson show may center around an indignant figure, furious with the world, but after the 38-second scuffle with Savarese, the Glasgow public must be feeling just as angry for having paid to witness it.