Boxer Mike Tyson: ‘Crazy Like a Fox’

Re “Put a Psychiatrist in His Corner,” Commentary, Feb. 11: Dr. Alen J. Salerian certainly has a grasp of the conventional wisdom concerning Mike Tyson but misses the mark: Tyson is crazy, but crazy like a fox.

In this, the twilight of his career, Tyson wants two things: the preservation of his existing ring legacy and the continuing ability to sign for easy paydays (e.g., fighting Brian Nielsen in Denmark). By ducking Lennox Lewis yet again, this time through his recent, headline-grabbing antics, he can continue to achieve both.

While Tyson is indeed a criminal, and particularly unstable when he goes off his antidepressant medication when preparing for fights, he remains a master of promotion and a savvy protector of his ring legacy.

William Johnson

Los Angeles

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Although I agree with Salerian’s conclusion that Tyson needs his head examined, I wish he could have used a better example than that FDR “let Stalin steal Eastern Europe at Yalta.” I’m surprised he didn’t spout the Republican mantra, “FDR sold us down the river”! Why not call for a psychiatric examination for the current president and all those who want to dump billions into a missile defense system?

John L. Uelmen

Newbury Park