First step

Tyson moves closer to getting license in D.C.

Mike Tyson was called a "sexual predator" by Georgia's governor. Al Bello/Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mike Tyson took the first round in what figures to be a long battle to fight Lennox Lewis in Washington.

The D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission voted 3-0 Tuesday to take the first step toward granting Tyson a boxing license, setting the stage for a possible June 8 bout at the MCI Center.

"I think you have a very good chance of that," said Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser, when asked about the date and venue.

But, as it seems with everything Tyson, there was confusion and protest. Commission vice chairman Michael Brown said after the morning vote that the board had granted Tyson the license, then he clarified himself at an afternoon news conference.

"The first step has been taken," Brown said. "A lot of things have to be done."

Brown said a required public hearing will be held March 12, followed by another vote. There are other formalities and paperwork, and Lewis must also apply for a license.

But, in the end, Brown was confident Tyson's license would be granted.

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"We're expecting a lot of opposition," Brown said. "But we're expecting a lot of support."

The first wave of opposition showed up at the news conference. About a dozen members of the National Organization for Women were there, holding signs that read "Stop violence against women."

"This is a man with an appalling history of violence against women," NOW member Terry O'Neill said.

After numerous rejections, Tyson has looked far and wide for a boxing body that would permit him to fight WBC-IBF heavyweight champ Lewis. The bout was originally scheduled for April 6 in Las Vegas, but Nevada officials denied Tyson a license after a melee with Lewis at a news conference last month.

California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, England, Denmark and the Netherlands were among many sites floated by Tyson's supporters as possible venues, with little success. Georgia, for example, fell out of the running the moment Gov. Roy Barnes referred to Tyson as a "sexual predator."

Now, with a positive response from the nation's capital, both camps seem willing to try to make the much-anticipated bout actually happen.

"Main Events will start work on the feasibility of promoting a bout in Washington, D.C.," said Gary Shaw, the chief operating officer of Main Events, Lewis' U.S. promoter.

Tyson's past also includes a three-year prison sentence for rape, a one-year sentence for a road rage assault and a one-year boxing suspension for biting Evander Holyfield's ears during a fight. Nevada police are currently investigating two sexual assault complaints against Tyson, although no charges have been filed.

"To say we are not concerned about his past would be disingenuous," Brown said. "But we looked at the application on its face."

Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said he would not object to Tyson's fighting in the district if the commission gave its approval. Both Williams and Brown cited the economic impact the fight would bring.

"Sept. 11 has changed a lot of things," Brown said. "A lot of hotel and restaurant people are out of work, and this fight would be helpful to the city."

 

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