Mike Tyson: 'Man, I was just so out of control'

• Mike Tyson still maintains innocence in rape for which he was convicted
• Tyson says prison was a 'blessing in disguise' because he was so out of control
• His national tour for one-man show 'Undisputed Truth' begins in February in Indianapolis

Mike Tyson plans to prove to the citizens of Indiana that he, indeed, is rehabilitated.

Tyson's Broadway-style one-man act hits the road on a national tour in February in Indianapolis — the same city where the ex-heavyweight champion was convicted of rape 20 years ago.

"Prison was such an amazing experience for me, that I survived,'' Tyson told reporters on a national conference call. "It's such a symbol to people who saw how I conducted myself in Indiana in the early '90s and the way I'm carrying myself now. I'm so proud to be able to go to Indiana (for people) to witness that.''

Tyson, 46, said his three-year incarceration after he was found guilty in 1992 of raping Miss Black America beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington — a crime for which he maintains his innocence — was a blessing in disguise.

"Man, I was just crazy,'' he said. "Everyone says, 'They robbed you of your time.' Whoa, man, I was just so out of control. I didn't know how out of control I was until I was in prison.''

Tyson, released from the Indiana Youth Center in 1995 after serving three years of a six-year sentence, said he looked forward to returning to the city — "even if we do have disagreements of what happened in the case, they'll see that this isn't the person then and the person now.''

After struggling for many years, he has remarried and spends much of his time trying to raise money for charity efforts, including The Mike Tyson Cares Foundation for children in need.

"Besides that ordeal, and the trials and tribulations that I had in Indianapolis, I have a great (number) of friends (there),'' he said. "That's going to be awesome (seeing them). I'm looking forward to it. I'm not one of those guys who is going to worry (about) the past and trip on the door that closed in my face (but) can't even concentrate on the one that's right open in front of me.''

Spike Lee directs "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,'' which embarks on a 10-week, multi-city tour that begins Feb. 12-13 in Indianapolis. Tyson loosely follows a script of his triumphant and turbulent life story but liberally ad-libs as he chronicles some of the controversy that resulted in blowups with promoter Don King, failed marriages, drug and alcohol addiction and bankruptcy.