Lewis' 2nd defense for July 15 in London

Copyright © 2000 Nando Media
Copyright © 2000 Agence France-Press

NEW YORK (April 17, 2000 4:36 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Britain's Lennox Lewis, boxing's undisputed heavyweight champion for the moment, plans to fight July 15 in London and to enter the ring again in the fall.

"I want to keep really busy. It's my time to shine," Lewis said Tuesday.

Lewis first faces unbeaten American Michael Grant April 29 at Madison Square Garden for the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles.

The World Boxing Association crown is vacant pending a court ruling.

Lewis is pressing ahead with plans to fight twice more this year, with promoter Panos Eliades saying that South African Francois Botha, New Zealand's David Tua or Vitali Klitschko, who was injured April 1 in a fight in Germany.

"It's a question mark right now. We have a whole list of opponents," said Eliades. "Francois Botha, Tua is in line, Klitschko. All three are even Steven at this point."

Tua is the mandatory IBF contender and Eliades plans to begin contract talks with his backers in New York City next week. Lewis will fight him by mid-November to keep that title.

"Lennox will have to fight Tua by the fall of this year, but we may save Tua for the fall because we don't have to fight him early," Eliades said.

Promoter Don King, whose legal moves pried the WBA title from Lewis' hands pending an appeal of a court decision last week, hopes to match U.S. fighters Johnny Ruiz and ex-champion Evander Holyfield for that crown.

Lewis said that if needed, he will prepare to meet Holyfield for a third time, having won once and outshined him in a controversial draw 13 months ago.

"If that's what the public wants to see I will definitely appease them," Lewis said. "If you look at most heavyweight champions out there, I have the most mandatory defenses out there. I fought them not because I wanted to because I was ordered to.

"These mandatories keep coming at me. But what can I do? I have to fight them to stay undisputed."

Lewis has put ex-champion Mike Tyson on the back burner for the moment, citing the American's appearance in the just-released movie "Black and White" and his twice delaying a planned fight in Italy against Lou Savarese.

"Eventually I'm sure the public would love to see me fight Mike Tyson," Lewis said. "He's doing other things right now. His mind is not on the boxing right now. He's in the movies and all of that."


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