When the political dust settles on the World Boxing Council heavyweight scene, Lennox Lewis will brush himself down and probably emerge with a revenge fight against Oli- ver McCall for the vacant title.
Lewis's promoter, Panos Eliades, says they will give Mike Tyson "one more chance" to hold on to his WBC belt and not give it up - or be stripped. There was more talk about a long-awaited fight against Lewis' former Olympic rival Riddick Bowe, although negotiations have recently broken down. But at an East London restaurant yesterday, Lewis seemed to be thinking along the lines of, "Keep it simple and give me McCall and win back the title".
Purse offers for a Lewis-McCall fight are due to be opened on 15 July, two days after Ty- son's fight against Bruce Seldon for the WBA crown. Lewis' camp are confident of winning the bid to stage the fight in London in September, two years after McCall stopped Lewis at the Wembley Arena to take the title back to America.
After Seldon, Tyson is lined up to meet the former undisputed champion Evander Holyfield in October, thus bypassing Lewis. There appears only one road open to Lewis - and he realises it. "I'd rather fight Mike Tyson, but he just does not want me right now," Lewis said. "But I don't believe he's scared to meet me; it's just the situation. The route we are going is to McCall. What other route do I have? The McCall fight has to sorted out; people will want to see it. There is still some unfinished business between us. I'd like to set the record straight, but the important thing is getting the title back."
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