WASHINGTON -- The D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission on Tuesday took the first step to grant Mike Tyson a license, setting the stage for a possible bout against Lennox Lewis on June 8.

California governor: Let D.C. have it

California Gov. Gray Davis has no problem with Lennox Lewis defending his heavyweight championship against Mike Tyson in Washington, D.C. Davis just doesn't want Tyson fighting in his state. "If it were up to me, it's a mistake," Davis said in a statement issued Wednesday from his Sacramento office. "I don't think we should grant Mike Tyson a permit, certainly not now. I think he needs to get treatment and get help. And I would be opposed to it." Rob Lynch, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, said Feb. 1 that attorneys for Tyson had requested consideration for a license, with Staples Center considered a possible venue. "I think they should use their independent judgment as to what is best for California," Davis said regarding the state athletic commission. "But if they asked me, I don't think this is the right time to give Mr. Tyson a fight. "I mean, you can have people who go around biting other people and apparently losing control, a number of lawsuits against him for alleged problems, so this is just not the right time to do it and I personally would be opposed to it." To receive a license in California, Tyson would need four affirmative votes from the six commissioners. Staples Center president Tim Leiweke has stated interest in a Tyson-Lewis matchup. -- The Associated Press

The three-member commission voted 3-0 to move forward with the license. A public hearing will be held March 12, followed by a final vote, but vice chairman Michael Brown was confident the license would be granted.

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

The opposition includes District of Columbia councilwoman Sharon Ambrose, who told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that she is threatening to abolish Washington's boxing commission if Tyson is granted a license.

Ambrose is chairwoman of the D.C. Council committee that oversees the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission.

"It would be like putting slot machines in every storefront," she told The Sun. "He's a very bad example of how men should or should not treat women."

After the morning vote, Brown initially said the commission voted to "go ahead and grant" the license. He essentially retracted the statement when he clarified the procedure at an afternoon news conference.

"The first step has been taken," he said.

The news conference drew protests from about a dozen sign-bearing members of the National Organization for Women.

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

Tyson has been looking for a boxing body -- in the United States or abroad _ 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.

"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.

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."

"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 has said he would not object to Tyson's fighting at the MCI Center 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."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.