'I'LL PUT A BULLET IN HIS ... SKULL' A BIZARRE TYSON HAS HIS STAY.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Staff Writer

BEVERLY HILLS - Mike Tyson, who already has said he would eat Lennox Lewis' children, threatened Thursday to kill Lewis himself.

Tyson, speaking at a strange-as-it-comes news conference to promote his fight with Andrew Golota on Oct. 20, said he felt intimidated by the bigger Lewis when they ran into one another in London recently and vowed not to let it happen again.

``If he tries to intimidate me again, I'll put a bullet in his (expletive) skull,'' Tyson said in a Beverly Hilton Hotel ballroom.

It was only the most bizarre comment of many in a profanity-laced dialogue with reporters that was disturbing even by Tyson's standards.

First, the former champion arrived 2 1/2 hours late and after Golota had left. And, when he finally did get there, he was in an unusual state. He was in a good mood, almost giddy at times, but didn't behave like a person who was in control of his senses.

At one point, he stripped off his shirt and jumped on a table at the dais in response to a question about his physical condition, which was out of character for the normally sullen, even belligerent fighter.

He takes antidepressants and admitted they affect him in many adverse ways. However, it wasn't clear whether they played a role in his behavior Thursday.

``He has to be on something,'' several members of the media said during the news conference.

That might explain some of his comments, although he's infamous for many things he's said under normal circumstances.

Here's a sampling of what Tyson said Thursday:

--On the antidepressant Zoloft, which he must stop taking before his fights: ``I'm on the Zoloft thing. I'm on that to keep me from killing you all. It has really messed me up and I don't want to be taking it, but they are concerned about the fact that I'm a violent person, almost an animal. And they only want me to be an animal in the ring.''

--``I'm a hell raiser. I'll get in trouble or killed one day. There's nothing I can do about it. It's who I am.''

--On whether he could beat Lewis if the two meet in the ring: ``I know I can kill him, I know I can beat him into oblivion. Does that answer your question?''

--``I'm a n-----, a street person. I don't want to be a street person. It's just the tragedy of my life. You all (the media) made me that way. . . . Just make sure you talk about me, make sure your kids and grandkids know about me. Your grandkids will say, 'Wasn't that a bizarre individual?''

Even Tyson's people couldn't argue with that.

Several rolled their eyes and shrugged their shoulders as they left the dais after the news conference. Tommy Brooks, one of Tyson's trainers, was asked, ``Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?''

He could only laugh, although the news conference was more pathetic than funny.