Commission's sanction decision set for tomorrow

Mike Tyson will likely find out tomorrow if his latest comeback is to be derailed by sanctions over his late hit on Orlin Norris in last Saturday's heavyweight bout.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) plans to meet tomorrow to review Tyson's actions in the scheduled 10-round bout, which it declared a "no contest" when Norris was unable to continue after he sustained a knee injury falling from a blow Tyson delivered after the bell ending the first round.

The NSAC, the regulatory body for boxing in the state of Nevada, will determine what, if any, punishment Tyson should receive.

"We have three options," said NSAC chairman Dr Elias Ghanem. "They are to revoke his licence, suspend him or fine him."

The fourth, and most likely, option is to take no disciplinary action against Tyson.

Meanwhile, the commission has withheld Tyson's $8.8 million purse in case it decides to fine him a portion of his earnings for his first fight since a stint in a Maryland jail on assault charges.

"Friday the commission will meet, review the tape and decide what, if any, action will be taken," said Marc Ratner, executive director of the NSAC.

"The blow was definitely after the bell," said Ghanem, adding that commission members at the ringside clearly heard it sound before the punch in question was thrown.

"I don't know if when two people are fighting and the bell rings, the intensity of the fight makes them not hear it," said Ghanem, seemingly prepared to let Tyson off the hook.

"But in this one the referee (Richard Steele) was between both fighters.

"When the referee steps in and says `Break' they both should quit hitting each other. Whether you heard the bell or not, it doesn't make any difference if the referee is between both of them," Ghanem continued.

Ghanem did say on Saturday that hitting after the bell was not as serious a foul as biting an opponent's ear. That statement appeared to rule out the most serious of the commission's sanction options.

NSAC rules call for a 30-day waiting period between the time an infraction is determined and the time any sanction is announced. However, Tyson would have the right to waive that waiting period and have punishment handed down at the initial meeting.