New York, Mar 12: Mike Tyson spent time at a New York boxing gym as part of his community service programme but admitted he was shown up by the youngsters he was teaching.
''I am in such horrible shape I couldn't keep up with the kids,'' he told reporters yesterday.
The former world heavyweight champion agreed to 100 hours of community service and counselling after pleading guilty last month to charges of misdemeanour following a 2003 brawl with two men in a Brooklyn hotel.
Tyson reported to the fabled Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn earlier in the week to agree a tentative schedule for his work, and yesterday spent two hours coaching and talking to a group of eight to 17-year-olds.
''I told them to have fun when they step inside a ring,'' the 37-year-old said. ''It's important that they enjoy themselves.''



Asked whether he could help teach the children right from wrong in life, Tyson said: ''The kids just wanted to talk boxing, so we kept it to that perspective.''



Tyson sweated profusely early on and looked, as he admitted himself, ''out of shape'', but he appeared relaxed around his young students.



After sparring lightly with eight-year-old Sherif Younan, he told him in jest, ''You're a beast''.



A controversial figure inside and out of the ring, Tyson rejected the chance to talk about resurrecting his career, saying only that he wanted to get fit.



His last fight was a first-round knockout of Clifford Etienne in February 2003. Shelly Finkel, the boxer's advisor, told reporters that he believes Tyson could fight again in June or early July of this year.


Bureau Report