Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has had his visa to visit New Zealand cancelled. Tyson was due to visit New Zealand in November to stage his one-man show "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth" in Auckland.
Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson today said the visa had been cancelled after his sponsor withdrew its support. The visa was originally granted on a "finely balanced call" under a special direction following a letter of support from the Life Education Trust which would have been a benefactor for the visit.
Wilkinson said the letter was a significant factor in approving Tyson's application. There was controversy because New Zealand has a strict law which rejects a visa being granted to any individual who was sentenced to five years or longer for a crime. Tyson has a rape conviction and his sentence was six years, although he was out in three.
