Mike Tyson’s manager, Shelly Finkel, said yesterday that if the fighter returns to the ring, it could well be in Louisville.
“I haven’t spoken to Mike about it, and I haven’t talked to Jonathan Blue,” Finkel said. “But I would like for Mike to come back here.”
Blue is director of Cobalt Ventures LLC, which invests in a company that helped provide financing for the Tyson-Danny Williams fight Friday night in Freedom Hall.
Tyson likely faces knee surgery before he could attempt another comeback, and Finkel has no timetable for such a decision.
He said he was impressed with the atmosphere at Freedom Hall and with the treatment Tyson received all week.
“It was a great show,” Finkel said. “Louisville was the most gracious host Mike has probably ever had, except for the mayor and governor.
” The fans were great. I think everyone who walked out of that arena can’t say anything but good things about it, except for Mike not winning.” Victory for Louisville
Blue has been listening to the argument for years: Louisville doesn’t have the wealth to support expensive, big-time sporting events.
But as the local businessman looked over a crowd of 17,273 on Friday night, he smiled and said, “Pretty convincing.”
Organizers sold 15,554 tickets, and the cheapest seat after the opening week was $75. Even in area s that went for $1,500 per seat, there were no noticeable empty spaces.