Desiree Washington
Mike Tyson 1991 Mug Shot
“IRON MIKE” SERIES HAS IRKED SOME
San Francisco, CA– Having written for others to read for some 44 years or so, I have gotten to the point to I rarely where give a s*it about what people think about me or what I produce. That being said, for those of you that are going to go ballistic at my saying trainer Cus D’Amato and former World handball champion ( Mike Tyson co-manager) Jim Jacobs (both deceased) shared a studio apartment in New York City for five years. Gee, you would have thought I had called the Pope a faggot during a Catholic mass.
TYSON TRIES TO RECOVER FROM DOUGLAS LOSS!
After getting busted up by Buster Douglas in February, Mike Tyson needed to resurrect his boxing career and chose his amateur nemesis Henry Tillman to start anew. Tillman, who had some success at cruiserweight (then 190 lbs. & now 200) had twice beaten Tyson in the run up to the 1984 Olympics. Tillman would win the Gold beating Canada’s Willie D’Wit on points (Willie stopped Tillman as a professional). Mike stopped a scared looking Tillman in round one. From the third row, the fear was as apparent as Tyson’s insurmountable disdain for Henry.
EMBARRASSING NIGHT FOR PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER
Next up was Alex Stewart, who although he had an impressive record, was best known for losing a war with Evander Holyfield the year before. Alex’s record was manufactured by two guys best known for under developing Gerry Cooney. Dubbed the “Wacko Twins,” they are the late Mike Jones and Dennis Rappaport.
“DEFECATION” IN THE RING?
If you thought Tillman was afraid of Tyson, Alex who was 26-1, 26 KOs, looked visibly shook even before he stepped into the ring. But that fear paled in comparison to before the bell. Whether it was a “liquid fart” or he sh*t on himself, Alex smelled like turd soup during the instructions from referee Frank Cappuccino. After Tyson looked like a beast, even though he was one year removed from his prime and the TKO 1 of Carl Williams, a man who had been on the short end of a heavyweight title fight with Larry Holmes. For those of you with some boxing acumen, think Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Young.
CIRCLE STAR PACKED FOR TYSON-RUDDOCK
Joe Gagliardi, a San Jose, CA based insurance mogul and part time boxing promoter was the king of Closed Circuit TV when it came to boxing. The venue I viewed the fight at was the now razed Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, a city half way between San Jose and San Francisco. Every major act played the theater with a stage that slowly turned in a circle during performances. It was the last place the great Nat King Cole had sang, as well the final on stage appearance of a wheelchair bound comedian Richard Pryor.
TIMING OF STOP DEBATABLE, MECHANICS WERE NOT!
To many, Richard Steele had shared being the #1 referee of the Nevada Athletic Commission with Mills Lane. On this evening, Richard’s stoppage (TKO 8) of this fight was as controversial in the minds of many fans as Steele’s stoppage of Meldrick Taylor in the final seconds of the 12th round 12 months prior in March 1990 to Julio Cesar Chavez. Ruddock had taken three hard shots and was on his heels when Steele stopped the fight and nearly caused a riot both at both the Circle Star and the Mirage Hotel where the fight emanated from.
FANS DEMAND REMATCH AND GET IT!
Three months later in June 1991, Tyson and Ruddock would rematch. Sans any controversy, the fight went 12 rounds and Mike won with scores of 114-108 twice and 113-109. Although Mike won, the fight was close and a third bout was a topic of discussion that never came to fruition. Tyson would enter training for a November 1991 fight with then heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who had stopped Tyson’s conqueror Buster Douglas in October 1990. But Tyson pulled a muscle doing sit ups. At least that was the claim of Don King matchmaker Al Braverman. Truth be told, Mike had bigger problems after getting arrested for Rape in July 1991.
THIS WAS THE DESIREE WASHINGTON INCIDENT (RAPE?)
Mike Tyson was in Indianapolis, IN for a beauty pageant when he fancied Miss Rhode Island, better known as 18-year old Desiree Washington. Tyson had sweet talked her into his limo and up to his hotel room circa 2 AM. Washington claimed Tyson had pinned her on the bed, raped her, committed Oral Sodomy, all supposedly against her will. Tyson’s chauffeur stated Washington looked “shocked” when got back into the limo alone, asking to return to her hotel.
DON’T THINK DESIREE TOTALLY TRUTHFUL
Tyson was arrested in July 1991, went on trial on January 26, 1992 and was convicted on February 10. He was sentenced to 10 years on each of the three counts of criminal sexual misconduct he had been charged with. When Tyson took the stand, he was defiant and did a lot of damage to his case with an arrogant demeanor. All I can say before I go any further is that Tyson was lucky Desiree Washington wasn’t white, for he might still be in jail seeing this was Indiana.
REASONS I QUESTION THE VERACITY OF DESIREE’S CLAIMS
Being one of the few journalists that read the trial transcripts of Washington’s testimony, Desiree claimed she was “spotting.” Women use this term when their menstrual cycle is not in full flow. That being said, I recall Washington testifying to this and that Mike was fondling her as they were making out on top of his bed.
REASONABLE DOUBT OR AN UNREASONABLE LIE?
Ms. Washington stated that things were getting hot and heavy. At that point, she told Mike that she needed to use the toilet. While she was in the bathroom, the “spotting” Ms. Washington took off a “pantie shield” (menstrual pad) and set it on the sink board. She came out and claimed Tyson then raped her.
ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION?
Why if she were spotting, take the pantry shield off and leave it on the sink board? She didn’t throw it away or replace it with another one, she left it on the sinkboard. If she did NOT intend to have sex with Tyson, then why did she do this?
FORMER COP’S PERSPECTIVE
This was not challenged by Tyson’s legal team for they had no experience in the defense of Sex Crimes. Hired by promoter Don King, Vincent J. Fuller was a Tax Attorney, while the State of Indiana hired a private gun in Greg Garrison to prosecute Tyson.
WORKED RAPE CASE MYSELF
With Police experience and having worked a number of rape cases, I feel Desiree took the pantie shield off and left it on the sink board with the intention of having sex with Tyson. But as one boxing groupie in Las Vegas put it, a woman who had bedded both Tyson and another heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Tyson was a well-endowed friggen animal in the sack.
DESIREE COULDN’T HANDLE THE ROUGH STUFF?
That’s what I think, Mike went berserk with the 18-year old beauty pageant contestant in such a manner that could be best described as “rough sex” and she was hurting from the intercourse. But again, what she did with the Panty Shield in my mind amounts to Reasonable Doubt.
TYSON WOULD SPEND THREE YEARS IN PRISON
During his prison stint, Tyson converted to the Muslim religion and renamed himself Malik Abdul Aziz. Three years later Tyson got out of prison. In closing, all I can do is repeat, had Ms. Washington been white, Mike might still be in prison.
READ FIRST THREE SEGMENTS OF TYSON STORY
Mike Tyson Part 1: Mike Tyson Part 1
Mike Tyson Part 2: Mike Tyson Part 2
Mike Tyson Part 3: Cus D’Amato Mike Tyson Part 3
PART 5 WILL DEAL WITH THE 1995 COMEBACK AND…
In the next segment of this series on Mike Tyson, we will begin with is prison release and his fights leading up to and including the “Bite Fight” with Evander Holyfield.
Pedro Fernandez