Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis, who once seemed destined to meet in a heavyweight title unification fight, have agreed to an April 20 fight, Bowe's manager said Sunday.
The fight at Caesars Palace, though, is contingent on Bowe being able to resolve his differences with Time Warner-HBO Sports, which has a long-term deal with Bowe to fight on HBO and pay-per-view.Bowe's manager, Rock Newman, is trying to break the contract, and Time Warner went to court in New York last week to ask a federal judge to uphold the pact.
Newman released a statement Sunday saying Bowe and Lewis had agreed to terms of an April 20 fight but there will be no formal announcement until the dispute with Time Warner is settled.
Caesars Palace spokesman Phil Cooper said Caesars has been negotiating for the bout but he was not aware of a deal having been made.
Bowe was the undisputed heavyweight champion when he gave up the WBC title, which Lewis then won. Plans for the two fighters to meet in a unification bout were derailed when both fighters lost their titles.
Lewis, representing Canada, beat Bowe and won the Olympic gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Games.