Tyson granted licence in Georgia

Mike Tyson could face world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in Atlanta in June after Tyson, who recently had an application to fight in Las Vegas denied, was granted a boxing licence in Georgia.

"A boxing licence has been issued to Mike Tyson," Georgia Boxing Commission administrator Tom Mishou said in a recorded message.

"Atlanta is being seriously considered as a location for that show (Tyson-Lewis). I have heard a tentative date of June 8 and the venue would be the Georgia Dome," Mishou said.

In an interview with USA Today Mishou said the Georgia Dome had already put up a $13 million site fee.

Lewis was meant to meet Tyson in Las Vegas in April but the bout, which could be the richest fight in history, was derailed when Nevada officials refused Tyson a licence. Their decision followed a brawl at a New York news conference during which Lewis alleges Tyson bit him.

Gary Shaw, whose Main Events company promote Lewis, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that he had heard nothing about the fight in Atlanta but did not rule it out.

Adrian Ogun, Lewis's business adviser, and Jerome Anderson, the chief executive of the Sport Entertainment and Media Group Lewis's management company, were not available for comment.

Georgia last staged a heavyweight title bout in 1998 when hometown hero Evander Holyfield beat Vaughn Bean.

CONSTANT CHANGES

Lewis's former manager Frank Maloney said he was tired of the constant changes in the fight's status. He told Reuters: "It's off, it's on again, it's here, it's there. It's getting a bit tiring.

"He's been given a licence. There are 50 states in America and one of them was bound to give him a licence. What will be interesting is it will show which one of the fighters really wants the fight and which one doesn't."

Tyson's former promoter Frank Warren says only Lewis, 36, refusing to fight will stop the heavyweight contest going ahead.

"Lewis and Tyson have both signed a contract. So whether Lewis wants to get out of the fight that can only be done if they can break the contract. If he did and it was found that he broke it illegally then Tyson and everyone can sue Lewis for damages," Warren told Sky Sports television.

Earlier this month Tyson's manager Shelly Finkel said his fighter had made applications for licences in Texas and California.

Venues including Manila, Johannesburg, Copenhagen and Beirut have also indicated interest but Finkel has said that he has little interest in taking the fight outside America.

Boxing experts say the city that hosts the fight would benefit from millions of dollars in related revenue and that the bout would be the richest ever with a purse of $150 million.

Britain's Lewis, who holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) belts, has said he will no longer fight Tyson on April 6 and may meet IBF contender Chris Byrd instead.

But the champion has not ruled out fighting Tyson at a later date, although the WBC has said Lewis must face Tyson before considering any other opponents.

In addition to Tyson's licensing problems and concerns over his mental health, rape allegations also hang over his head.

Las Vegas police have confirmed they have applied for a sexual assault prosecution to be brought against Tyson and police are conducting a second rape investigation involving the boxer.

Tyson's promising career has been blighted by controversy in and out of the ring.

The 35-year-old was convicted and jailed in 1992 for raping a Miss Black America contestant. He was released in 1995 after serving half his sentence, but was jailed again in 1998 for assaulting two motorists.

In 1997 Tyson was banned from boxing for a year after biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in a world title fight.