TYSON VS. HOLYFIELD: POST-BITE ANALYSIS; EX-CHAMP'S CHOMPS SHOWS HE'S A CHUMP.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

Evander Holyfield left Las Vegas for Atlanta on Sunday morning without part of his right ear. Mike Tyson presumably was at home, awaiting to learn what his punishment would be and whether he could face criminal charges.

In the meantime, we're left to wonder what possessed Tyson to bite Holyfield's ears in their heavyweight championship fight here Saturday?

Holyfield and his handlers, as well as many outsiders, believe Tyson was desperate. He knew another loss to Holyfield was inevitable and wanted out before the champion knocked him out. In other words, it was a calculated move.

Others believe it was a spontaneous act. He was so frustrated, so enraged by what he believes were intentional headbutts by Holyfield over two fights, he lost his senses and resorted to animal-like behavior. Still others believe he's simply nuts.

There's probably a lot of truth in all of the above.

A good case can be made for the first scenario.

From the beginning, many wondered whether Tyson was reluctant to step back into the ring with the man who handed him a vicious beating in November. He knew Holyfield had his number, a reality difficult to overcome.

And when it again became apparent on Saturday that Holyfield would control the fight, Tyson found a way to bail out without suffering another embarrassing beating.

That he left his corner to start the third and final round without his mouthpiece (which he was forced to put in) seems to underscore the theory that he had something in mind before he actually took a chunk out Holyfield's ear. And the fact he bit Holyfield a second time, after he was warned by referee Mills Lane of the potential consequences, is further damning evidence.

He was like a frightened dog backed into a corner: His instinct was to bite.

``Holyfield was really pushing him around,'' said former welterweight champion Carlos Palomino, who worked as a Spanish-language television commentator. ``In the beginning, he did the things he didn't do in the first fight. He moved his head, he jabbed. And then he just reverted back to the way he fought before.

``I think he knew he was going to lose the fight. He did what he thought he had to do.''

Richie Giachetti, Tyson's trainer, doesn't buy it. He said Tyson acted out of frustration over the series of headbutts, which he believes started in the first fight and continued on Saturday. However, he admitted that Tyson's actions were wrong.

``People are going to say it was planned. Believe me, it was totally spontaneous,'' Giachetti said. ``It can't be justified, though,'' he added with a look of resignation on his face.

Giachetti's views can't be dismissed.

Tyson's vile nature has surfaced before. He spent three years in prison for raping Desiree Washingon and he has admitted to punching women. In retrospect, the manner in which he expressed his rage fits a despicable pattern.

The question is this: Is it temporary rage that causes such behavior or is Tyson mentally ill? The line between the two is thin.

``He's a troubled young man,'' said television commentator Ferdie Pacheco. ``He definitely needs psychiatric help.''

What's next for Tyson? The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which meets Tuesday, will decide how Tyson will be punished.

He's expected to be suspended and fined. The commission witheld the legal limit of 10 percent of Tyson's $30 million purse pending the meeting, which means he could be fined as much as $3 million.

Veteran trainer Emanuel Steward suggested Tyson be suspended for six months. A year and, say, a $100,000 fine would send a much stronger message to boxing's scofflaws.

Some have suggested a lifetime ban. Palomino is among them. Don Turner, Holyfield's trainer, isn't. He believes Tyson would continue to be good for boxing from a business standpoint. For this reason, Tyson likely will fight again, against someone focused more on a big payday than an unstable opponent.

``He went out to hurt him permanently,'' Steward said. ``That will be an important factor (in the commission's decision). At least with (low-blow specialist Andrew) Golota, he regretted what he did. This guy and the people around him just tried to justify it.''

Tyson could also face criminal charges. He took a swing at a police officer during a melee following Lane's decision to stop the fight. And Jim Thomas, Holyfield's advisor and an attorney, believes Tyson could be prosecuted over the biting, although he said ``it's not in Holyfield's nature'' to seek revenge.

Tyson remains on probation over the rape of Washington, which means there could be far-reaching ramifications as a result of his actions. A Las Vegas Police Department spokesman said a statement would be made this morning.

In the meantime, Steward suggested he reevaluate his friends.

He was referring specifically to co-managers John Horne and Rory Holloway. Immediatley after the fight, Horne said the butts - which almost everyone believes were accidental - justify the biting, going so far as to say there was no reason Holyfield couldn't go on.

Steward was appalled.

``Mike needs to get better people around him,'' he said. ``What (Horne) said in the post-fight, there was no remorse. That was terrible.''

What's next for Holyfield? Holyfield needed eight stitches to close the wound in his right ear, a portion of which was bitten off by Tyson. The left was damaged but intact.

Somehow the missing piece, which was found in the ring by an MGM Grand Hotel employee, was lost. The employee, Mitchell Libonati, put the finger-tip-sized piece of flesh in latex gloves and delivered it to Holyfield's dressing room. However, it apparently didn't make it to the hospital. When the bag that was supposed to contain the piece of ear was searched, it wasn't there.

In spite of his injuries, Holyfield could fight again as soon as November, according to his conditioning trainer, Tim Hallmark, although Holyfield and his handlers aren't looking that far ahead.

Holyfield-Tyson III? Forget it.

Thomas wouldn't rule anything out but said his fighter wants nothing more to do with the former champion.

``At this point in time, we don't believe he deserves the privilege of fighting someone like Evander Holyfield,'' Thomas said.

Father figure: At the end of an on-camera tirade, Tyson said he was conerned how his kids would react to the cut below his right eye caused by a second-round butt.

``Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me,'' he said. ``I gotta go home and my kids are going to be scared of me.''

His kids won't be scared of how he looks. If they truly knew him, however, they'd be scared of who he is.

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Photo: (color) Mike Tyson celebrates his 31st birthday today. It seems many are ready to pin more than a tail on this donkey for his actions Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Associated Press

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