LONDON -- Mike Tyson has applied for a visa to return to Britain for a bout in June. But the former heavyweight champion could find his way barred.

Home Secretary Jack Straw agreed to allow Tyson to enter the country in January for a fight with Britain's Julius Francis despite an immigration law that bars anyone who has served a jail sentence of a year or more.

Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and served half his six-year sentence. He was jailed again for attacking two motorists.

Straw agreed to bend the rules, citing exceptional circumstances. He said a cancellation would have cost small businesses millions for a fight that had been confirmed in early December.

But Straw hinted at the time the visa might be a one-time occurrence, and the British media have reported Tyson would not be so lucky a second time.

Tyson submitted his application to the British consulate in New York last week. He is seeking entry for a June 24 bout in Scotland.

Straw is expected to make a decision "in the near future."

Already, women's rights groups and some lawmakers have asked Straw not to let Tyson enter the country again.

"We would be very concerned about what kind of message that sends out," said Sandy Brindley of the Rape Crisis Line.

On Jan. 29, Tyson knocked out Francis at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England before a sellout crowd of 21,000.