Mike Tyson was granted a boxing license in the District of Columbia on Tuesday, opening the possibility of a title fight against heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in June.
Lewis’ promoter, Main Events, will study the feasibility of a bout at the MCI Center in Washington, then report to Lewis and get his response, said Main Events spokesman Donald Tremblay. He said Lewis has affirmed that he wants to fight Tyson, whose adviser Shelly Finkel has been searching for sites.
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Finkel said there was a “very good chance” of a June 8 bout at the MCI Center.
Among preconditions are a site fee for what is projected to be a multimillion-dollar fight. Before Nevada refused to grant Tyson a license, Las Vegas’ MGM Grand had offered $15 million to get the fight.
While states such as Georgia, New York and Texas have followed Nevada’s lead and denied Tyson a license, D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission vice chairman Michael Brown and Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said they would not object to Tyson fighting there. Both cited the fight’s benefit to a struggling economy after the commission voted 3-0 to grant Tyson a license.
“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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– The Boxing Writers Association named middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins Fighter of the Year for 2001 for upsetting previously unbeaten Felix Trinidad.