When first learning about Mike Tyson holding a one-man show at MGM, I thought about shock jock Howard Stern and the movie Private Parts when NBC bosses wanted to fire Howard but couldn’t.

The reason? Ratings.

Polarizing figures like Tyson, Stern and the late Howard Cosell, whether you like them or not, have opinions people want to hear. And that’s why the cozy Hollywood Theater, which seats 740, was nearly sold out at $150 a ticket for an evening with the former world heavyweight champion and current human time bomb.

Tyson’s mystique keeps on growing – whether it’s the one-man two-hour "Open Mike" presentation at MGM or his entertaining roles as himself in The Hangover movies. Who knows, there could be future spinoffs into reality shows for Mitch "Blood" Green, Robin Givens or Desiree Washington.

(I was only kidding).

In fact, it is Tyson’s hope this MGM gig turns into a Broadway show.

Yahoo.com published a revealing interview with Tyson on its website last week and a local radio show bravely booked Mike knowing he’s an F, C and N-bomb waiting to happen. Whether you like the bad language or not, general opinion was favorable and the salty remarks fit the messenger.

"Mike knows how to present himself," said Craig Canter, an accomplished singer/entertainer in Las Vegas. "The show was wonderfully packaged and very enjoyable. I think it could have been condensed down to less than two hours, but Mike was definitely not boring."

The show is a no-holds-barred look at Mike’s life through his eyes. No script, just Mike taking everyone through the good and bad times. It’s a roller-coaster ride that MGM took a mild gamble on Tyson’s drawing power.

You see, Las Vegas is in the process of projecting an image that this is not just the gambling capital of the world. The meter is definitely heading to the entertainment side.

And Tyson is not the first boxer to turn his ring success into showbiz. Sugar Ray Robinson danced, Joe Frazier sang, Rocky Graziano made a fortune in commercials.

Whether Tyson wound up as good Monday night in closing the show as he apparently was Friday at his debut, will go a long way to determine whether Broadway is in his future. But one thing is abundantly clear – Tyson still carries clout as a personality.

And that translates to money, which to MGM made this gamble a technical knockout.