LAS VEGAS (AP) \u2014 When Mike Tyson was developing as a young fighter in New York in 1980s, he had plenty of chances to test the skills that would one day make him the world\u2019s best and fiercest heavyweight.<\/p>\n
Now Tyson looks at the state of boxing in the United States and doesn\u2019t like what he sees. The title of heavyweight champion has gone from among the most prestigious in sports to one that\u2019s nearly anonymous.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what drove the 59-year-old Hall-of-Famer to help launch the Mike Tyson Invitational on March 12\u201314 in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas. Tyson\u2019s team sought out the nation\u2019s top amateur boxers to give them this forum to go against each other with the long-range goal of elevating boxing to where it used to stand as a conversation-driving sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was watching some of the amateur fights and I was wondering, \u2018We don\u2019t have enough boxing clubs,\u2019\u201d Tyson said Friday. \u201cBefore, when I was fighting, we could fight at the Ohio state fair. Then I\u2019d go to Colorado the next two weeks and fight in the national tournament. That\u2019s what we need to be able to compete with the other countries. We need more competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is particularly concerned about boxing\u2019s future in the Olympics. Until the International Olympic Committee announced last March that boxing would be included in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, there was doubt whether the sport\u2019s longtime presence in the quadrennial event would end.<\/p>\n
Tyson\u2019s main focus is making boxing big again in the U.S. There is the occasional major event, such as the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford<\/a> unified super middleweight title fight Sept. 13 before 70,482 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n But those attention-grabbing bouts only temporarily push back on the notion that boxing is in trouble at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, boxing is dying, and that is what\u2019s driving me,\u201d Tyson said. \u201cIf I can be involved in any way in the uplifting and development of boxing, I\u2019ll be happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n