Dad wants to come back into his life....

I usually don’t do this but I need y’all opinion... So my son is 8yrs old and his father haven’t been in his life since he was about 1 yr old or a little younger... now he wants to come around and be there for him... Will I be wrong to not let him or should I let him come around? I just don’t want to make it seem like I’m a bad mother by keeping him away from his father but then again he’s been away from him all this time! He was physically, emotionally and mentally abusive to me, he had a huge drinking problem so I left vegas and moved with my family back in Washington DC. I know people can change but I’m not so sure if he actually did change or if he’ll leave our son again. At 8 years old am I allowed to let my child make this decision or is it mine to make? I know people can change but he’s asking to have our son move with him for the summer, and i’m against it. Help me out guys, if i’m wrong let me know. I’ll be okay with supervised visits if he come here to Washington DC, but as I mentioned that to him he thinks I’m selfishly wrong.