The simmering row between erstwhile business partners Frank Warren and Don King may now jeopardise King's plans to stage a heavyweight unification match in the new year between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. A district court judge in Philadelphia has ruled that the Warrenpromoted American heavyweight Orlin Norris should be installed as a number one challenger for the WBA version of the title, held by Holyfield, if he can beat Britain's Henry Akinwande in a final elimination contest which must be staged by December 21st.
Judge Norma Shapiro said Holyfield should fight Norris by June 28th next year, adding that the WBA may not entertain any application for Holyfield to fight anybody else without the consent of Norris, or the approval of the court. Warren, on behalf of Norris, is likely to demand `step-aside money' to allow Holyfield, who also holds the IBF version of the title, to take on the WBC champion Lewis. A tentative date of April 24th has been set for that fight if all parties involved can reach agreement.
King is well aware that his recent Holyfield-Moorer promotion was not a financial success, with relatively modest TV payper-view returns failing to justify the $28 million combined purse for the fighters. King played Lewis $4 million in ring nonentities rather than face the former Olympic champion.
The chances are Warren would demand at least as much to persuade Norris - hardly the division's most eye-catching performer - to fade into the background where he might be paired with the WBO champion Herbie Hide.
It is there the danger lies for the Holyfield-Lewis promotion. Holyfield can be expected to demand substantially more than the $20 million he earned against Moorer, and Lewis is understood to be holding out for 40 per cent of the total purse. Financially, it looks risky.
The Lewis-Andrew Golota match bombed on pay-per-view, with only around 300,000 buying the fight on Home Box Office. While the manner of Lewis's 95-second victory added to his marketability, question marks remain over his drawing power, especially in the States.
Warren's demands will make King sweat a little more: "I really don't care," said Warren yesterday, "he has been trying to make my life difficult with the Naz fight in New York (Hamed is due to defend his WBO featherweight title against Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden on December 19). Let's see how he likes a bit of his own medicine."
Lewis's manager Frank Maloney said: "Let's see Norris beat Akinwande first - that's not easy. Frank Warren's just making a nuisance of himself as usual. He's wining because he's not a big boy with the heavyweights."
