The New York State Athletic Commission has scheduled an Aug. 21 hearing to investigate charges that promoter Don King illegally interfered with heavyweight champion Mike Tyson's contract with his manager, NYSCAC chairman Randy Gordon said Saturday.
King's promotional license can be lifted if the charges made by Tyson's manager Bill Cayton are proven, Gordon said. King has also questioned the validity of Cayton's managerial contract, and those charges will be investigated at a later hearing."We will hear both complaints," Gordon said. "First, we'll hear Cayton's complaint, then we'll reverse it."
King can also be fined or suspended if it is proven he signed Tyson to a promotional agreement without Cayton's consent. His license in New York expires Sept. 30.
King's attorney was notified of the hearing Thursday. Gordon said he expects King to attend, although he has not subpoenaed the promoter. He said he will consider issuing a subpoena if King tries to delay the investigation.
"I'll try to make it as short as possible, I don't want this to drag on for weeks," Gordon said. "Hopefully, we can get a ruling in a day or two (after the hearing)."
Commissioners Gordon, Rose Trentman and Jimmy Dupree will conduct the hearing.
Cayton charges King with signing Tyson to a four-year exclusive promotional contract without the manager's approval. King counters that Cayton's managerial license is invalid.
"It is our contention that Mike Tyson has a manager and has a manager to this day - me - and, therefore, his dealings with Don King cannot be legal," Cayton said.
King's director of boxing, Al Braverman, denied the promoter ever tried to manage Tyson and said any efforts to fire Cayton were prompted by Tyson himself. Braverman also said King was not worried about any action taken by New York to be honored by other state commissions. King promotes mostly in Nevada and New Jersey.
The last fight he promoted in New York was in December of 1986.
The complaints are part of a battle between Cayton, King and Tyson that began more than a year ago. Tyson sued Cayton to break his managerial contract in June 1988. That was settled out of court, with Cayton agreeing to a reduced financial percentage of Tyson's purses. Tyson filed another fraud suit against Cayton last November, and Cayton countered with a suit against King in February. Both cases are pending.