Tyson to Apply for Boxing License

TRENTON, New Jersey — Mike Tyson will ask to be licensed as a boxer today in New Jersey, a request that if approved will prompt a U.S senator to try to change a federal boxing law.

Tyson and his attorneys are scheduled to ask the state Athletic Control Board for permission to allow the boxer to fight in New Jersey, almost 14 months after his license was revoked in Nevada for biting Evander Holyfield’s ears.

The federal Professional Boxing Safety Act, passed last year, requires all states to honor other states’ suspensions--it doesn’t mention revocations. By seeking a license in New Jersey, Tyson is using a loophole, said Senator Richard Bryan, a Nevada Democrat who is co-sponsor of the legislation.

“If New Jersey should allow Tyson to fight, I think it’s going to undermine the regulatory process,” Bryan said. “If they do, I’ll seek to change that.”