Boxing: Lewis to meet Bowe

LENNOX LEWIS is to defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Riddick Bowe in Las Vegas between November and next May. Lewis will earn pounds 12m and Bowe nearly pounds 9m, according to the champion's financial backer, Pannos Eliades.

This depends upon Lewis's successful mandatory defence against Oliver McCall at Wembley in September and Bowe winning a comeback fight after losing his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation titles to Evander Holyfield last November.

'We're looking forward to Lewis being recognised as the best heavyweight,' Lewis's manager, Frank Maloney, said in London yesterday at the announcement of the deal.

Rock Newman, Bowe's manager, said he thought the winner would be regarded as the real heavyweight champion and not Michael Moorer, who took the WBA and IBF titles from Holyfield in April.

Lewis has defended the WBC title three times, but Bowe has not fought since losing to Holyfield and pulled out of a bout against Buster Mathis Jnr in Las Vegas last Saturday because of a back injury. He is now scheduled to fight Larry Donald on 15 July in Inglewood, California, but will need to pass a medical examination on Monday.