Tyson in row

Less than three weeks before he asks a Nevada panel to end his banishment from boxing, Mike Tyson nearly got into a brawl after a traffic accident.

Tyson's wife Monica was driving the car with the former heavyweight world champion as a passenger when they were hit from behind in Gaithersburg, Maryland, yesterday afternoon, reportedly by a motorcycle.

The incident was minor and no one was injured, but police said Tyson wanted to fight the offending driver before Tyson's security guards intervened, preventing him from throwing a punch.

When police were called to the scene, Tyson complained of chest pains and an ambulance was called to the scene.

When the rescue unit arrived, Tyson said he felt fine and did not need to go to the hospital, instead being released into the care his wife, who is a physician.

Police filed an incident report, which could have led to a misdemeanor assault charge against Tyson if a scuffle had taken place and was seen by police.

The other driver, described only as "a man in a suit" by police, can press charges for up to a year. Tyson (32) was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years for the crime.

Tyson will go before the Nevada Athletic Commission on September 19th in Las Vegas. The same group removed his fighting licence on July 9th, 1997, after he bit Evander Holyfield's ear in their title fight 11 days before.

The decision to strip Uzbekistan heavyweight Rushan Chagaev of his 1997 world championship gold medal was ratified by the International Amateur Boxing Association's executive committee yesterday.

The results of the heavyweight division have been amended.