Rahman to fight Lewis in November

Hasim Rahman will defend his world heavyweight titles in a rematch with Britain's Lennox Lewis in November, Rahman's co-manager said on Tuesday.

"Rock is excited that the deal is done and he's ready to repeat what he did the first time," co-manager Steve Nelson said.

Rahman shocked Lewis with a fifth-round knock-out in South Africa to take away his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation crowns last April.

The rematch will be on November 10 or 17, probably in Las Vegas, Nelson said.

Lewis reached agreement for a rematch with Don King, Rahman's promoter, a couple of weeks ago, Nelson said.

Nelson and co-manager Stan Hoffman went to King's Florida home last Thursday and negotiated until coming to terms Saturday morning. They then flew Rahman down and the boxer signed that evening, Nelson said.

He declined to say how much Rahman would be paid.

"The only thing that I'll say is that our contract guarantees us more money than Lennox Lewis, and because we have a deal that includes various percentages on all forms of revenue from the fight, we stand to make quite a bit more," Nelson said.

INCREASED PURSE

Would that be more than $10 million? "We'll do better than that," Nelson said.

He said the cable television network HBO had given the two dates in November.

"They want the fight real badly and it's just a matter of time before all the details are completed with them," said Nelson.

"But again, there's no question it's going to happen."

The co-manager added: "We've made it real clear that we want the fight to be in Las Vegas and given those marching orders to Don King, who's already started talks with the three largest hotels out there to find a site."

A spokesman for King said he had no comment.

Nelson said Rahman, who is currently in Baltimore, was already in light training and would "go intensive right after Labor Day" in early September.

A lawyer for Main Events, Lewis's U.S. promoters, said there would be no deal until agreement was reached among Main Events, Don King and HBO.

Asked if a deal was in the works, attorney Pat English said: "I think it is. It's got to be contingent on us reaching a deal. But I believe it is true.

CONTRACT CLAUSES

"What I don't know, very honestly, is how open-ended that contract is, what sort of contingencies there are in it and what out clauses King may have."

The lawyer said: "It's not unusual for King in particular to do a contract that says if certain things don't come together -- i.e. sell it successfully to a site for X amount of dollars or to a network for X amount of dollars -- then the contract is null and void."

Nelson said it was up to Main Events to work out its arrangements with Lewis.

Rahman, who left promoter Cedric Kushner to join King, had planned to defend his titles against Nigerian David Izon in China but Lewis went to court and persuaded a judge to order the American not to fight anyone else for 18 months unless he first granted the rematch.

Lewis, meanwhile, had been making plans to fight former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

A Danish promoter said Tuesday that Tyson would face Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen on September 8.

Nielsen was originally scheduled to meet Rahman in China in August but King later chose Izon as Rahman's opponent after Nielsen was dubbed "Danish pastry" by the media.