Don King has offered Lennox Lewis $12.5m for a world heavyweight title rematch with Hasim Rahman. "We are making an offer of $12.5 million to Lennox Lewis, which is more money than he got to go in as champion and get knocked out," said the flamboyant boxing promoter. "Either give us the $12.5m if they want to promote the fight, or we'll give it to them and we will promote the fight." King put forward October 6 as a possible date but did not specify a venue.
Rahman caused a major upset when he stopped Lewis on April 22 in South Africa. A federal judge ruled on June 21 that Rahman cannot fight anyone else for the next 18 months unless he gives Lewis a rematch, according to the terms of their contract.
King said that he made the offer yesterday and the Lewis camp was meeting today to consider it. He said that he had not heard an offer of more than $3m from Lewis.
The offer was revealed at a news conference publicising a rematch in Beijing between World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John Ruiz and former champion Evander Holyfield, who is trying to win the world heavyweight title for an unprecedented fifth time.
Rahman was scheduled to make his first title defence on the same bill against David Izon of Nigeria, until the judge ordered a rematch with Lewis. "I just want to fight Lewis and get it over with and move on to some better fights," said Rahman.
The antagonistic King said that the Lewis camp has been insulting Rahman with their attitude about his surprise fifth-round knockout victory, treating it as "an illusion". The promoter had Rahman pose in front of three blown-up photographs taken at the South African bout, showing the American looking down at Lewis, flat on his back and being counted out after being caught flush on the jaw with a right.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
