Boxing; Lewis; Let Tyson wait his turn

Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis says he won't fight Mike Tyson on April 6, but he could take on another challenger.

"The April 6 date is definitely out the window for the Tyson fight, but it may be OK for another fight," Lewis told BBC Radio. "Later in the year for a Lewis-Tyson fight, definitely.

"Mike Tyson is the ultimate matchup in my era and it would be disappointing not only for me but for the public not to see that matchup, so on the sport aspect that fight should be made."

If Lewis goes ahead with a fight April 6, his most likely opponent would be IBF challenger Chris Bird.

Tyson lost his bid to fight Lewis in Las Vegas on April 6 when the Nevada Athletic Commission voted 4-1 last Tuesday to deny him a boxing license.

Lewis and Tyson brawled last month at a news conference in New York to announce the fight.

Lewis has not ruled out the possibility of fighting Tyson outside the United States. South Africa, the Netherlands and Germany have expressed interest in holding the bout.

Tyson has taken the first step in applying for a license in California, where he hopes to fight Lewis. Rob Lynch, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, has said a hearing probably will be held late this month.

"There are a lot of different situations that could develop," Lewis said. "Everything is still young, the decision has just been made and we need to go back and see what comes out of this.

"But I would love to beat up Tyson and give him a whipping because the public want to see it, plus the fans want to see a Lewis-Tyson matchup, so it is a disappointment to those people as well."

In Other Boxing News:

READING, Pa.--Bernard Hopkins wants Roy Jones Jr. at the right price and the right weight.

Hopkins, who stopped Carl Daniels to retain his unified middleweight championship Saturday night, insists on a 50-50 purse split and won't move up much in weight. "I'm a natural middleweight," Hopkins said. "I'm not going to give Roy Jones his due and give him everything. What has Roy Jones done lately? He tells everybody, 'Have you forgot? Well, there's ain't nobody remember. People have short memories in boxing. I can't live off the Felix Trinidad fight. You're only as good as your last fight."

Hopkins defeated the previously unbeaten Trinidad four months ago to capture the WBA title, becoming the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in the mid-1980s.

Hopkins has been looking for a rematch against Jones ever since. Jones, the undisputed light heavyweight champion, won a 12-round decision over Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight title in 1993. It was the last time Hopkins lost.

Jones (46-1 with 37 knockouts) stopped Australia's Glen Kelly in Miami in the second part of the split-site doubleheader.

"Come up in weight, fight for my title," Jones shouted at Hopkins in an interview between their fights. "I already beat you one time. You're just as sorry now as you were then."

Jones told Hopkins he wants an 80-20 purse split. Hopkins said he'll never fight him in that case.

"My career is not based and predicated on me fighting Roy Jones," Hopkins said. "I'm glad that I have three belts because that means I have three mandatories a year and I can make $2 million or $3 million every time I step in the ring with Donald Duck. I can deal with that. I can live with that. I'm not going to be upset if I don't get Roy. If you really look at it, you can't blame a person for not wanting to get in there with Bernard Hopkins."

Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.