Mike Tyson, the fighter known for his ferocity, got down on his knees and prayed to Allah on Saturday, his first act in a journey that could restore his title and his fortune.
Wearing a white knit skullcap, Tyson, released from prison after serving three years for rape, was whisked off in a black limousine to a mosque at the Islamic Society of North America.He was joined there by former boxing champ Muhammad Ali, NFL Hall of Famer Mel Blount, rapper Hammer and hundreds of others.
A prayer of thanksgiving was offered in Arabic. Tyson, sporting a mustache and short beard, sat in the front row before the imam, bowing solemnly as rays of sunlight streamed through clear mosque windows.
A weary-looking Ali, a Muslim for three decades, sat nearby. He later signed autographs and posed with children for photos. Don King, the promoter who hopes to guide Tyson back into a multimillion-dollar boxing career, was behind them.
Tyson took his brute force instincts into prison, running into early discipline problems, then made peace with the stringent demands of prison life. He failed his high school equivalency exam, but he read regularly, recited Maya Angelou's poetry when she visited him and was tutored in Islam by Muhammad Siddeeq, who led Saturday's service.
Unlike others who have adopted Muslim names, such as Ali, Tyson will keep his own name, Siddeeq said.
"His decision was that his rise was as Mike Tyson and his fall was as Mike Tyson and that he would strive to bring that name back to dignity as Mike Tyson," Siddeeq said.
Friends say religion and three years in prison have changed Tyson for the better.
"He's coming out a tougher man, a better man, a wiser man and a more spiritual man," singer Hammer said at the mosque.
The Rev. Charles Williams, a longtime friend who visited Tyson regularly, said Saturday the boxer is more mature and more discriminating.
"He's learned about respecting himself, which is how you respect others," he said. "I think he's going to be very selective of the persons around him."
After the prayer service, Tyson took a private jet to his 66-acre estate, about 45 miles southeast of Cleveland - a stark contrast to the spartan 9-by-11 cell he shared at the Indiana Youth Center 20 miles west of Indianapolis.
Tyson, who became the youngest heavyweight champ ever at age 20, had to pay huge legal bills, but at age 28 still could rake in $75 million to $100 million in a year of fights.
"They're negotiating like it's the sale of India, because he's very popular," said Showtime boxing analyst Ferdie Pacheco.
Some women's groups have decried Tyson's celebrity status and said it's wrong to treat the boxer as a hero.
Tyson served only half of his six-year sentence because of good behavior but he still faces four years probation.
Tyson said nothing publicly Saturday, though a printed statement given out near the prison in his name said: "I'm very happy to be out and on my way home. I want to thank everyone for their support. I will have more to say in the future. I'll see you all soon."
About 200 reporters, TV crews and photographers, some from as far as England, France, Brazil, Germany and Australia, chronicled his release, while news helicopters buzzed overhead.
Tyson, wearing a long black coat, was whisked out about 6:15 a.m. His entourage, including King, managers Rory Holloway and John Horne, surrounded him on all sides; an aide spread open his coat to block any view of the boxer.
Monica Turner, a 28-year-old Georgetown University medical student who is reportedly Tyson's girlfriend, also was at the prison.
Assistant prison superintendent Phil Slavens said Tyson "said we were fair - `Thank you for being fair.' We shook hands,"
Some boxing experts say Tyson's prison stint will not diminish his drawing power.
"Boxing has always been an outlaw sport," said Alex Wallau, ABC's boxing analyst. "I think if there's any one sport where a felony conviction would not be a huge negative, boxing is it."
Already, a list of potential opponents includes 46-year-old George Foreman, Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield. Another possibility is James "Buster" Douglas, who shocked the boxing world Feb. 11, 1990, when he knocked Tyson out and took away his heavyweight title.
Tyson's last match was June 28, 1991, when he won a 12-round decision over Razor Ruddock in a non-title fight in Las Vegas.
Others predict Tyson's comeback will depend on his ability to handle himself outside the ring.
"His greatest fights are with himself, not with the competition," Wallau said.
Tyson's police record dates to 1978, when as a 12-year-old, he was picked up for purse snatching. He discovered boxing in reform school, where Cus D'Amato discovered and groomed him into a champ.
As his fame grew, so did his troubles.
He was sued by two women who claimed he grabbed them. He broke his hand in a brawl and got into traffic accidents. His short, tumultuous marriage to actress Robin Givens ended in 1989.
In 1991, he was invited to Indianapolis to promote the city's annual Black Expo and he met Desiree Washington, a Rhode Island contestant. She testified Tyson lured her to his hotel room, overpowered and raped her. He claimed it was consensual sex.
Williams, the man who brought Tyson to Indianapolis, said he expects the boxer will be more cautious and circumspect.
"Whatever decisions Mike has to make, he is very capable of making them," he said. "That doesn't mean all of them will be right. I guarantee you, more of them will be right than wrong."