Tyson-Lewis Fight Would Help Get L.A. Off the Mat

However you feel about Mike Tyson, holding the proposed fight between Tyson and heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in Los Angeles would be good for L.A. It would generate more than $100 million in revenue to the region while putting thousands of people back to work.

This sporting event is going to happen somewhere. Other states have shown a strong interest in staging it, including Georgia, which has already granted Tyson a license to fight there. These states are not willing to sacrifice the substantial economic benefits during these difficult economic times.

Until the matters of Tyson’s personal behavior are adjudicated, that should not be a factor in determining whether he should be licensed to box in the state of California.

California’s economy has languished along with the rest of the country since Sept. 11. Especially hard hit have been the local tourism and service sectors. Los Angeles is particularly affected because of its reliance on foreign tourists, who accounted for nearly one-third of the $13.6 billion spent by visitors in 2000. The region has responded by attempting to increase tourism from within California and nearby states. Though this effort has had some success, what better way to give the local tourism sector a shot in the arm than to host an event that is expected to bring in millions of dollars in revenue, fill thousands of empty hotel rooms and draw local and international media attention.

In December, downtown Los Angeles hotels experienced their worst month of business since the recession and civil unrest in 1992, with occupancy rates under 27%. These hotels need a 60% occupancy rate just to break even.

As a result, as many as 2,000 unionized hotel workers and several hundred nonunion service workers have been laid off. That translates to about 40% of the county’s unionized hotel workers who have been laid off or who have had their hours substantially reduced.

The effects are crippling to a working family struggling to make it even in a strong economy.

It was recently reported that next year’s budget for the city of Los Angeles is predicted to have a $250-million shortfall, in part because of a drop in tourism. This deficit will affect the city’s ability to deliver essential services.

Events such as this championship fight will fill those empty hotel rooms, put service employees back to work and translate into additional revenue from fans patronizing local restaurants, retail stores, small businesses and other local attractions. The event is also guaranteed to attract international media attention, sending the message that L.A. remains one of the top entertainment destinations in the world.

The past few months have been a trying time for our country as well as for our region. We have responded in a proud manner. While the economy appears to be slowly rebounding, we should continue to work together to return the region to full economic health.

Let’s focus this debate on what it is really about: Stimulating our economy and bringing jobs to our region.