British law bars Tyson’s entry; ‘Undisputed Truth’ events canceled

ASSOCIATED PRESS

10 years ago

Mike Tyson appears in an HBO performance of “Undisputed Truth.” (Courtesy, HBO)

In this July 25, 2013, file photo, boxer MIke Tyson poses backstage during HBO’s Summer 2013 TCA panel at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. At one time he was the baddest man on the planet, a heavyweight champion who terrorized anyone who got in his way, inside the ring or out. More recently he’s unburdened himself as perhaps the most tortured soul on earth, with a one-man show on Broadway that Spike Lee has turned into an HBO special airing Nov. 16. Now he’s got a new autobiography that might be the most soul baring book of its genre ever written. The title is “Undisputed Truth,” and the truth is that Mike Tyson is one messed up dude. (AP Photo/ Chris Pizzello, Invision)

LONDON — Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has scrapped promotional appearances in London because previous convictions bar him from entering Britain.

Tyson, 47, was due in London this week as part of a promotional tour for his autobiography “Undisputed Truth.”

His publisher, HarperCollins U.K., said in a statement Tuesday that it had been “unaware” of recent changes to U.K. immigration law and for that reason Tyson had to reroute to Paris.

Under Britain’s immigration rules, anyone sentenced to more than four years in prison is barred from entering the country.

Tyson served three years of a six-year sentence in the 1990s for raping a teenage beauty-pageant contestant. He also has been convicted of assault and cocaine possession.

Britain’s Home Office declined to comment on Tyson.