Lennox Lewis doesn't want to be given the heavyweight title. He wants to fight for it.
Lewis, declared the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Monday after Riddick Bowe tossed the organization's title belt into a garbage can and the WBC withdrew his crown, appears to be taking steps to get into the ring with Bowe.Promoter Dan Duva on Tuesday said he was told by Frank Maloney, Lewis' manager, that Lewis would hold a news conference in Jamaica today and talk to the British media by telephone, telling them he would accept $3 million to fight Bowe. Lewis also would promise that if he lost, he would give the $3 million to starving people in Somalia.
One of the offers Lewis, of Britain, refused was for $3 million against 10 percent of the purse to fight Bowe.
Bowe, meanwhile, appears to be taking steps away from Lewis, who defeated Bowe in the 1988 Olympics.
HBO has scheduled a news conference for Thursday. Duva said HBO is prepared to announce a long-term deal with Bowe, and his first opponent on Feb. 6 could be Alex Garcia.
Bowe, still the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, never received a belt from the WBC because he never paid the $90,000 sanctioning fee for the title fight against Holyfield on Nov. 13.
Duva said the WBC belt that Bowe threw into a trash can was one that former champion Evander Holyfield had owned. The promoter said Holyfield had bought several belts to auction at charity events and that Bowe had bought one of them for $1,700 a year ago.
Bowe's manager, Rock Newman, is talking about putting together a two-fight plan for Bowe. Newman said he would make an announcement this week.
Newman said Bowe wants to fight in New York in February, with possible opponents including former champ Michael Dokes and Garcia. That would rule out a talked-about fight at halftime of the Super Bowl on Jan. 31.