Tyson avoids jail with plea bargain

New York:

Mike Tyson has avoided a return to jail by agreeing to plead guilty to disorderly conduct in a brawl with two men outside a Brooklyn hotel last year. The former heavyweight champion's lawyer, Mel Sachs, yesterday called the agreement a "fair and equitable resolution of this matter." Tyson was at the Brooklyn courthouse during the negotiations, appearing relaxed as he flipped through a catalogue of boxing memorabilia or read the newspaper. Under the agreement, he will perform 100 hours of community service, instructing children in boxing, Sachs said. Once that is completed, other charges will be dropped. Tyson initially was charged with assault, harassment and disorderly conduct. The 37-year-old Tyson was arrested after an early morning brawl with Samuel Velez and Nestor Alvarez-Ramos, who allegedly threatened him last June while the boxer waited for a ride to the airport. Velez and Alvarez-Ramos are awaiting trial on charges of menacing Tyson before the fight began. In December, a judge rejected Tyson's bid to have the case thrown out and ordered him to go on trial. Attorneys for Tyson had argued he was acting in self-defense when he battered the pair. This case was the latest legal travail for Tyson, who was jailed in 1992 for raping a beauty pageant contestant, and again in 1999 for assaulting two Maryland motorists. Tyson hasn't fought in a year, since knocking out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. (AP)