Boxing champ Mike Tyson made light of his controversial image by telling fans: "I won't eat your children."

The fearsome legend breezed into a publicity event last night to meet and greet fans and up-and-coming fighters ahead of an amateur boxing bout where he is the star attraction tonight.

Tyson, who infamously threatened to eat Lennox Lewis's children and rip out his heart before a fight four years ago, put his past firmly behind him as he chatted with young boxers during his first visit to Brighton and Hove yesterday.

Controversy continues to dog Tyson, 39, wherever he goes.

He was convicted of rape in 1992 and bit a chunk of out of fellow boxer Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997.

As he met fighters at yesterday's event, he told The Argus: "That character's dead now. People don't need to worry about him anymore. I don't want to bite people's ears off and I don't want to eat anyone's children."

Tyson will tonight watch fighters from Hove Amateur Boxing Club compete at Effingham Park golf club in Copthorne, near Crawley, and host a question and answer session.

Brighton and Hove City Council pulled the plug on the original booking at the Brighton Centre after women's groups reacted with fury to news of his visit.

But Tyson said he was unaware of protests and simply said: "I'm just happy to be here."

He added: "I'm not that person anymore. I have got totally different problems which supersede my fighting career. He is dead, he does not exist anymore."

He said he had worked with charities since he began his career and wanted to continue that work in Brighton and Hove.

An autographed painting of him, by local artist Julie-Anne Gilburt, will be auctioned at tonight's event and could raise up to £10,000 for local children's charity Whoopsadaisy.

Actor and boxing fan Chris Ellison, better known as DI Burnside from ITV's The Bill, met Tyson at the press conference at Saqqara bar in North Street, Brighton.

Mr Ellison said: "It's great he's here. He's a tremendous fighter."

Crowds of people, clutching posters and boxing gloves, gathered outside the bar as Tyson pulled up in a black stretch limousine at 2.30pm.

As he left the building an hour later his entourage held up traffic while shoppers craned their necks and workers leaned out shop windows to catch a glimpse of the man.

Navid Iran, of Hove Amateur Boxing Club, who tonight takes on Danny Wright from London club Samuel Montagu, said: "It's exciting just knowing he's going to be there watching. He's great. What else can you say?"

Fellow boxer Lee Garnham, 16, added: "Tyson's one of the greats, like Ali.

"I'll have to give him a show, he's only going to be here once. It's the fight of my life."

Janie Brashill, ABA middleweight champion, said: "Tyson is an enigma.

"You have got to be sensitive about the women's issues but he was invited down here for his boxing achievements to talk to people about that."

Scott Welch, former British and heavyweight champion and Tyson's personal bodyguard, who organised tonight's event with Lee Greenwood, called Tyson a genius.

He said: "He has definitely been affected by his three years in prison and he was treated with the utmost disrespect. I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say he's a great, great guy."

He added: "It's absolutely fantastic he's here. It's everything that I wanted.

"When the city council cancelled it I was hurt to be honest because a lot of work had gone into this.

"This is like when Jack Dempsey stayed at The Grand.

"I believe this is going to be something that everybody talks about for years to come."