Tyson says he will be proven innocent in rape allegation

Boxer Mike Tyson

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson says he will be proven innocent of rape allegations made earlier this month by an acquaintance.

Tyson has not been arrested, and no warrant for his arrest has been issued at this time, officials said.

"I'm just looking forward to capturing the heavyweight championship, and everything in the long run will prove that I'm innocent, and I'm just looking forward to that, but I'm not sweating it at all," Tyson told Phoenix, Arizona, television station KTVK on Tuesday.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in California is investigating the sexual assault allegations.

According to San Bernardino Sheriff's Detective Mike Folette, a 50-year-old acquaintance of Tyson's reported that she was raped by him the evening of July 16 at his rental home in Big Bear City, California, the mountain resort town where Tyson had been in training for an upcoming match in Denmark. Tyson faces unranked Danish heavyweight Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen on September 8. No world title is at stake in the fight.

On Monday, Tyson attorney Darrow Soll met with Folette and the San Bernardino County district attorney. Sgt. Frank Gonzales of the sheriff's department described the meeting as positive, and said investigators were satisfied with the information provided by Soll and will add that information to their investigation. He would not elaborate about the information provided.

Gonzales said the meeting with Soll had satisfied for now the sheriff's department's need to discuss the case with Tyson, but authorities reserved the right to speak with the boxer at some point in the future.

Investigators plan to present their case to the San Bernardino County district attorney next week. The district attorney is expected to review the matter to determine if formal charges should be filed against Tyson.

"In a case like this you depend on your victim, physical evidence and witness statements -- but this case lacked enough probable cause to arrest him initially based on the allegations alone," Gonzales said. "Investigators are working to search out the facts of the possible victim's allegations."

Last week, Soll -- based in Phoenix -- provided the following statement to CNN from a Tyson representative: "We are aware of the allegation against Mr. Tyson. We feel that the allegation is without merit. We are hopeful that authorities will conduct a thorough and complete investigation, which we expect will clear Mr. Tyson of any wrongdoing. Mr. Tyson will continue to train as scheduled and looks forward to competing in September."

The alleged victim sought medical attention at the Bear Valley Community Hospital on July 17. As is standard in many hospitals, medical staff notified the sheriff's department that they had treated a possible assault victim. Folette then made contact with the alleged victim, who at first did not want to pursue the matter.

Folette said that on July 24, the alleged victim changed her mind and contacted him to file a report identifying Tyson as the suspect.

Tyson served more than three years in prison in Indiana after being convicted of rape in 1992.

In 1997, Nevada boxing regulators revoked Tyson's boxing license and fined him a maximum $3 million for twice biting opponent Evander Holyfield on the ear during a match in Las Vegas.