In a major victory for the pugnacious pugilist, his lawyers cut the deal with Indiana prosecutors.

Iron Mike had violated his probation for a 1992 Indiana rape conviction by bashing two motorists after a fender bender in Maryland.

Tyson lawyer James Voyles said the deal allows Tyson to avoid a four-year prison term in Indiana.

The two months will be added to the year the boxer is serving at the Montgomery County Jail in Rockville, Md., for slugging the motorists.

With time off for good behavior, Tyson could be out of jail in May or June, and able to start training, Voyles said.

"I believe this was in the best interests of my client," the lawyer said.

Asked whether this means Tyson could resume his boxing career, Voyles replied: "We hope so. That's always been the intent on Mr. Tyson's part."

One source said the hope is that Tyson would be released and given home detention in mid-May.

That would allow him to start training - provided he is home at night.

Another source said: "Right now, the legal situation for Mike is on the upswing. Potentially he could be back in the ring by September with a free fight on Showtime from Baltimore or somewhere else in Maryland. That's our best-case scenario."

Tyson's sentence for assaulting the motorists set off a chain of legal troubles that included the probation violation in Indiana and a possible decision by the Nevada State Boxing Commission to pull his boxing license.

The Indiana deal calls for Iron Mike to admit he's violated his probation, agree to appeal his sentence in Maryland and pay Indiana $80 a day for the cost of his jailing in Maryland, where Tyson's wife, Monica, and their children live.

After Tyson serves the sentence, his probation would be over, Voyles said.

The deal was approved by Judge Patricia Gifford, who sentenced Tyson in the rape case.

Tyson is serving 25 days in solitary for throwing a TV set after prison guards hung up his phone in the middle of a conversation.

Lawyers said his eruption resulted from a decision by prison authorities to reduce the amount of Zoloft, an anti-depression medication, Tyson is taking.

-- Niles Lathem - 3/05/99