By Mark Vester
It appears that rap recording artist Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is a bigger boxing fan than many of us realize. He recently told The Source magazine that his flamboyant lifestyle is based on that of his hero, heavyweight legend Jack Johnson. Johnson, who became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908, is Combs' inspiration for living it up.
"I'm the return of Jack Johnson. His whole swagger, personality, the way he whupped yo ass, it's the dress, the style, the cars and the money... "This man would rent whole trains, get six or seven women, take them away for six months and rent out the top floor of hotels... (at) a time when they were lynching n**as," Combs said.
On the Mike Tyson front, the former heavyweight champion continues to make more newspaper headlines than all of the fighters on the pound-for-pound list combined.
Apparently, Tyson has checked into the same rehab center as pop recording artist Lindsay Lohan, who is being treated for drug and alcohol addiction. Last weekend, Tyson checked himself into the very exclusive Wonderland Center in the Hollywood Hills.
Tyson was arrested last December in Arizona on suspicion of drunk driving and felony drug possession after he nearly crashed into a police vehicle shortly after leaving a nightclub. He later admitted to a police officer at the time of his arrest that he was a drug addict and had a problem.
Tyson was indicted earlier this month on felony drug possession and paraphernalia possession counts and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs.
He pleaded not guilty to charges on January 22, and returns to court on February 26.
