KEY POINTS:
MESA - Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who pleaded guilty in September to drug possession and driving under the influence, was sentenced by a judge on Monday to 10 days in jail, but will only serve one day.
In addition to jail time for the DUI, Tyson also
received three years' probation on each count to run concurrently, said Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Helene Abrams. He will also perform 360 hours of community service.
The 41-year-old former boxing was arrested on December 29 when he was spotted driving his black BMW erratically and nearly collided with a sheriff's office vehicle. Tyson had just left a nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona.
There were 2.16 grams of cocaine in several bags in his possession at the time and traces of marijuana in his system, prosecutors told the court in September.
Prosecutors had sought one year of prison for the embattled former fighter, saying he was a repeat offender with a violent past and that the court needed to send a strong message.
Tyson attorneys had argued for probation because the boxer had admitted his mistakes and was working to battle his addictions.
Since his arrest, Tyson had undergone treatment at a California rehabilitation centre and worked with children preaching a message of staying sober and keeping off drugs. His attorney said in court he had passed 29 straight drug tests.
"If you do good deeds and you help other people recover, alternatives to imprisonment are the better route," Tyson's attorney David Chesnoff said outside the courthouse.
Tyson left the court without speaking to reporters. He will report to jail on Tuesday morning, his attorney said.
He faced a maximum of three years and nine months in prison for felony possession of drugs and another six months in jail on the misdemeanour DUI charge. Tyson pleaded guilty to the charges in September under an agreement with prosecutors.
Authorities said Tyson revealed his cocaine addiction during the arrest and admitted to using the drug that same day.
Tyson spent three years in an Indiana prison following a 1992 rape conviction and another spell in jail after pleading no contest to two misdemeanour assault charges in Maryland in 1999.
The man known as "Iron Mike" shocked the world and was banned for boxing for a year when he bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear during a title bout in 1997 in Las Vegas. He finished his career with a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts.
Mike Tyson - the highs and lows
* June 30, 1966 - Born in Brooklyn, New York.
* March 6, 1985 - Makes professional debut, with first-round victory over Hector Mercedes in Albany, New York.
* Nov 22, 1986 - Becomes youngest heavyweight champion of the world at age 20, with second-round knockout of Trevor Berbick to win World Boxing Council heavyweight title.
* 1987 - Becomes undisputed world heavyweight champion with victories over World Boxing Association champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith on March 7, and International Boxing Federation title holder Tony Tucker on August 1.
* February 11, 1990 - Loses undisputed title to James "Buster" Douglas in an upset in Tokyo.
* 1992 - Tyson convicted and jailed for rape of a beauty queen in Indiana. Serves three years.
* 1996 - Knocks out Frank Bruno in third round to win WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas on March 16. Knocks out Bruce Seldon in first round to win the WBA heavyweight title on September 7.
* June 28, 1997 - Bites a chunk out of rival Evander Holyfield's ear in Las Vegas bout. Authorities revoke Tyson's boxing license and fine him $3 million.
* February 5, 1999 - Tyson sentenced to jail for assaulting two people following a traffic accident in 1998. Serves three months.
* August 1, 2003 - Tyson files for bankruptcy following a string of financial woes.
* December 29, 2006 - Tyson arrested by police in Scottsdale, Arizona, and charged with DUI and cocaine possession.
- REUTERS
