Mike Tyson appears before Nevada boxing regulators, who rejected his request for a license.

The Nevada Athletic Commission refused to reinstate Mike Tyson's boxing license on Tuesday, after the commission members voted 4-1 to reject his petition for getting the license.

Tyson needed the approval of three of the five members of the commission to get his Nevada boxing license reinstated for an April 6 fight with defending heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Tyson unsuccessfully argued that he would follow the commission's rules.

"This is the most important moment of my life as far as my fighting career is concerned," Tyson told Amy Ayoub, one of the members of the panel, before he changed his mind and asked to withdraw the petition. "And this [following the regulations of the commission] is something I'm truly interested in doing and being successful at. And I've been punished before severely in an infraction of the law... And I don't want to experience that again."

A Troubled History

His license was first revoked in June 1997, after he was disqualified for biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear during a championship match in front of thousands at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden.

In October 1998, he persuaded the commission to reinstate his license, only to lose it again in 1999 after he hit Francois Botha after the bell in a comeback fight.

Initially, Tyson didn't plan to appear personally before the commission, but that changed after last week's brawl in New York, in which he threw a punch at Lewis' bodyguard just before a news conference to promote their planned match-up. Lewis said Tyson bit him on the leg, a claim Tyson has denied.

After the melee, Tyson made lewd gestures and yelled expletives at a journalist who suggested he needed a straitjacket.

That prompted the commission to order Tyson to appear in person if he wanted to get a license.

Fight May Go On Outside Nevada

The Nevada commission's decision doesn't mean Tyson won't be fighting Lewis in the near future. It is not binding on other states that might want to host the event.

However, most states tend to follow other states' licensing recommendations.

Other Incidents Under Commission Microscope

The members of the commission questioned Tyson on several incidents besides the last week's brawl. He was asked about testing positive in 2000 for marijuana following a Detroit fight with Andrew Golota.

Tyson insisted he had not smoked marijuana since the Golota fight.

In other incidents that have made headlines, Tyson threatened to eat Lewis' children after another fight last year, and earlier this month, Tyson made news in Cuba for throwing Christmas ornaments at reporters during a fit of rage.

More trouble may be waiting for Tyson. Last week, police said they believe there's enough evidence to charge him with raping a woman last year at his Las Vegas home. Tyson previously served prison time for rape.

In addition, Tyson's wife, Monica, recently filed for divorce.