Lennox Lewis wins back his crown

Lennox Lewis hit the jackpot with one crunching right in Las Vegas on Saturday, winning back his World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles, as well as plenty of lost respect and the Mike Tyson sweepstakes.

But while each of these accomplishments hold considerable value, it is in the Briton's bank account where the shuddering effects of his fourth-round knockout of American Hasim Rahman will be felt most.

Victory by Lewis has now set up what many predict will be the richest bout in boxing history -- a long awaited heavyweight showdown with Tyson.

Even before Saturday's heavyweight rematch, Tyson's menacing appeal hung over the fight as both camps and promoters openly speculated about what they would do next if they won.

"He is big, Mike Tyson is still big," explained Emmanuel Steward, Lewis' trainer. "There are only a few fighters who have had the appeal to go beyond the boxing world - Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson.

"The rest of them, Larry Holmes etc, were good fighters but they were just fighters.

"Regardless of where Mike might be with his skills right now, people are still holding on to the old Mike Tyson.

"People not even involved in boxing are still attracted to Mike Tyson. He is a big, big figure in whoever wants to make money."

INESCAPABLE ALLURE

The sport's most bankable property, Tyson possesses an allure that is inescapable, and fully underscored by talk of a $100 million-plus purse if he and Lewis were finally to step into the ring together.

But for Lewis a fight with Tyson would represent more than just a big payday. A victory, even over an ageing Tyson, would go a long way to determining the Briton's legacy and his place among boxing's greats.

"I want Tyson, I definitely want Tyson," screamed Lewis, as he pounded his chest and danced around the ring following his victory over Rahman.

It would also appear to be the heavyweight spectacle everyone else wants to see.

But, despite the broad appeal and millions of dollars to be made from a Lewis-Tyson clash, the numerous obstacles standing in the way of such a fight may keep it from ever being realised.

While Lewis has no contract with Don King beyond Saturday's fight, the Briton has spent much of the last week singing the praises of the flamboyant promoter and now appears on the verge of signing a deal with man with whom he once said he would never work.

Such a partnership would have the potential of scuttling a Tyson-Lewis fight.

Entangled in a legal quagmire of lawsuits and ugly name-calling with his former promoter, Tyson has said he will never again fight under a King banner.

ROAD BLOCKS

"I don't know what road blocks there are but I know when two fighters want to fight they tend to find a way to get their camps together to make it happen," said Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice-president of sports operations and pay-per-view who would figure in any Lewis-Tyson fight.

"At this point in his career, Lennox is going to be looking for hallmark fights, Hall of Fame fights that will mark his place in history."

"I would suspect Tyson would be the fight...sometime this spring."

While Lewis's impressive performance on Saturday injected new life into his career, the 36-year-old has indicated he will step into the ring only three or four more times before he retires and would like to cash in on each of those fights.

At Saturday's post-fight press conference, he opened the door to other possible opponents, suggesting he may consider taking the winner of the John Ruiz-Holyfield WBA fight to unify the heavyweight title.

But Tyson, clearly, is the man Lewis wants standing opposite him in the ring for his next fight and the Briton has wasted no time in taunting the ex-champion into action.

"Everyone keeps asking, who will I fight next...since the Holyfield fight, I've been waiting for Tyson. Where is he?" questioned Lewis.

"The funny thing though...after his last fight when he fought that blimp in Denmark, he said he needed two more fights.

"I said, boy, 'will this fight ever come about'.

"But there's other guys who deserve a chance too so I'm not really pondering Tyson."