U.S.

Boxing Bad Boy Gets License

By Bootie Cosgrove-Mather

February 19, 2002 / 12:20 PM EST / CBS

Boxing bad boy Mike Tyson was granted a license Tuesday by the Washington, D.C.,
Boxing and Wrestling Commission for a bout with heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis in June.

The three-member commission approved the license by a 3-0 vote via conference call.

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

The 35-year-old Tyson was set to fight Lewis in Las Vegas on April 6 for $150 million, the richest fight in boxing history. But the state of Nevada refused to grant a license for the Tyson-Lewis fight after the two boxers entered into a brawl during a news conference last month.

With Nevada out of the picture, Tyson's supporters have searched the world for potential venues. California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, England, Denmark and the Netherlands are just some of the sites that have been floated, most without success. Georgia, for example, fell out of the running the moment Gov. Roy Barnes referred to Tyson as a "sexual predator."

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.

Washington Mayor Anthony Williams has 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."