London — Lennox Lewis still wants Mike Tyson. He talks like a fighter who needs Mike Tyson.
"My main aim for staying around is Mike Tyson," Lewis said Wednesday. "It's the last notch on my belt, icing on my cake. I would love it to happen before I retire."
Lewis often has been criticized for what some say has been a lack of serious opposition and for his two one-punch knockout losses to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, both of whom he beat in rematches.
His WBC-IBF heavyweight title defense against Tyson on April 6 was knocked out of Las Vegas when the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to deny Tyson a boxing license.
So where, when and if it will be held and who will stage it are now boxing's big questions.
Another state could license Tyson to fight, but political pressure could be brought to bear on any state considering it, especially in the wake of the revelation of two sexual assault complaints against Tyson.
Meanwhile, promoters in both South Africa and Denmark said they would welcome the fight, which raises the question of whether Tyson would leave the United States.
In London, Lewis said he required a tetanus shot after Tyson bit a chunk of flesh out of his left thigh during a melee at news conference in New York last week.
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