Rahman may name next opponent after Mecca pilgrimage

By John Phillips

Hasim Rahman will not decide for at least eight days whether his first world heavyweight title defence will be against Lennox Lewis or Mike Tyson, Rahman's manager Stan Hoffman said on Wednesday.

The betting in boxing circles seems to be that Rahman will give the Briton a chance to win back the two titles he lost when the 28-year-old American underdog knocked him out in South Africa last month.

Rahman's promoter, Cedric Kushner, said on Wednesday "negotiations are at a highly sensitive stage" and could not discuss them. He also confirmed the new world champion would leave for Mecca on Sunday for a religious pilgrimage.

"I will present the offers to Hasim and tell him which one I think he should take," Hoffman said, adding that no announcement would be made before the champion returns.

He said he understood that Rahman would complete his pilgrimage in eight days.

A spokesman for Main Events, Lewis's U.S. promoter, said he was not aware that Rahman, the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion, had made a decision on his next opponent.

Tyson has filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to force the WBC to give him the first tilt at Rahman.

Tyson's lawsuit says WBC rules require that a non-mandatory challenger who wins the title -- in this case Rahman -- must fight the number one challenger first.

Tyson is ranked number one by the WBC.

But WBC president Jose Sulaiman supports a Rahman-Lewis fight first.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for David Tua announced on Wednesday the New Zealander planned to sue the IBF to have it enforce its rule prohibiting contracts for world championships that contain rematch clauses, such as the one between Rahman and Lewis.

Tua, beaten on points by Lewis last year, claims he should be Rahman's next opponent because he beat the IBF's top-rated contender Darnell Nicholson in an elimination bout in March.

The Baltimore Sun reported on Wednesday that the HBO cable broadcasting company, which has Lewis under contract, has offered Rahman $14 million to meet Lewis, plus an additional $3 million for two more fights regardless of the outcome against the Briton.

The newspaper also reported that Showtime, HBO's rival, has offered Rahman $16.25 million to fight Tyson, whom they have under contract.

Kushner, referring to Rahman's pilgrimage, said: "I would think that this would be a good opportunity to go to Mecca to give thanks for your good fortune."