Lewis, WBC and IBF champion, however, said he would accept that split only
if Tyson paid off his TV network, Showtime.
"It's a joke, the whole thing," Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser, said of
Lewis' terms. "They're looking for Mike to get out of his (Showtime) deal,
which he can't get out of. Mike and Showtime are ready to sit down and begin
negotiations for an agreement to make this fight happen as soon as possible."
According to Lewis, who has a contract with HBO, his business manager,
Adrian Ogun, had talks in New York last week with Finkel.
"Mike, through Shelly, made an offer to me to fight as early as June this
year, leaving me to choose the date and location," Lewis said in a statement released in London. "I am delighted to accept the offer
and I have instructed my lawyers to send Mike a draft contract for the deal.
"Mike wants us to share purses on a 50-50 basis. I am prepared to do that
provided the live pay-per-view for the fight is on my network, HBO/TVKO, and
that Mike compensates his network, Showtime, out of his 50 percent of the
purse."
"To me this means he doesn't want to fight," Finkel said.
Finkel confirmed he had met with Ogun and told him "not only does Mike want
to fight Lewis, he wants to fight him now (without either man having an interim
fight)."
"I intend to fight Hasim Rahman on April 21 in Carnival City, South Africa,
and I am prepared to meet Mike soon after his birthday, June 30, although my
preferred date would be July 21," Lewis said.
Tyson now is expected to fight in May, Finkel said.
Finkel said that at his meeting with Ogun he said that Tyson was the bigger
draw but that he would talk to him about purse parity. Ogun said Lewis was the
champion, but Finkel said he told him, "Lewis doesn't draw."
Lennox Lewis is ready to accept a challenge from Mike Tyson in mid-summer - on
the condition that the pay-per-view coverage is handled by his cable network
Home Box Office.
� Sporting LifeLEWIS v TYSON - IT'S ON, CLAIMS LENNOX