Boxing: Tua not biting at Lewis' new bait

By PETER JESSUP

Lennox Lewis yesterday upped his offer to David Tua for their world heavyweight boxing title fight scheduled for November to $US3.25 million ($7.06 million) - but the Aucklander is holding out for more.

It is a considerable change of tune from Lewis, who last month rated Tua as "not in my class"and offered $US2.75 million.

Yesterday, he re-rated Tua as "a genuine No 1 contender who has earned his shot at my crown."

"I repect him as a boxer," he said in London, "but now I need him to step up to the plate, be a man and accept the challenge and ignore the politics of boxing."

If Tua and his manager, Kevin Barry, reject Lewis' offer, and they will until it passes $US4.5 million ($9.8 million), the fight will go to "purse bid," where all interested promoters put forward financial proposals to take control of the organisation of the fight.

The date for that was settled yesterday as August 15, with the tender-like process to be held at the IBF headquarters in New York.

Lewis said: "I am making a public statement because I want David to get the message loud and clear that I am prepared to step in between rival promoters and guarantee him the biggest payday of his boxing life.

"I am offering a sure thing to David, a cool $US3.25m before he even gets in the ring. We boxers have to stand together. If David allows promoters to cloud the issue and go to purse bids he could find out that when all the bids are opened he ends up fighting for far less."

Lewis said his offer would remain open until tomorrow. "Call me, David, you know my number."

Barry said they would not be calling. "This is politics from Main Events [Lewis' promoters]. They're trying to get David cheap. Of course, this is the biggest fight of his career and his biggest payday.

"Michael Grant got $US4 million and what we want is for Lewis and Main Events to show David the respect he deserves. Why should David fight for less than Grant?"

Traditionally, the defender gets 75 per cent of the purse and the challenger the other 25.