By PETER JESSUP
David Tua wants $US4 million ($8.71 million) for his world heavyweight boxing showdown with champion Lennox Lewis.
The Briton's backers have offered $US2.75 million but are still squirming and likely to go higher to hold control of the fight.
As negotiations progressed over the weekend to settle a venue, purse
and broadcaster for the court-ordered November 12 bout, it became clear that Lewis' handlers have accepted that he has no way around a meeting with the Aucklander.
Tua's promoters, America Presents, have promised to be aggressive in the purse bid that will result if they and Lewis' manager, Panos Eliades, cannot reach agreement.
Meanwhile, Tua's manager, Kevin Barry, is trying to avoid becoming immersed in the shady world of rumour, innuendo, threats, backhanders and backroom deals that have tarnished the reputation of the sport.
"There is so much intimidation going on, stories fabricated to cause disharmony within our team," he said. "I knew this wasn't going to be plain sailing, but it's a corrupt business, it really is."
He did not want to get into details until the fight deal was signed, sealed and delivered.
Barry and America Presents felt that Lewis' backers, the HBO network, were playing games with fight figures at the weekend. The pay-per-view network stands to lose control of heavyweight title fights if Tua, signed to rival Showtime, wins the two titles up for grabs in November.
"Lewis offered $US2 million, then $US2.25 million, then $US2.5 million. The latest was $2.75 million," Barry said. "Michael Grant [Lewis' last serious opponent] got $US4 million and he was not a mandatory challenger. We won't fight for less."
The Tua camp yesterday sent the International Boxing Federation notice that they had been unable to get agreement on purse, venue and broadcaster and wanted to go to bid.
Lewis and Eliades are still expected to come back with an improved offer. America Presents wants Tua to fight at the MGM Grand Casino or the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, each seating 14,000. Seat prices will range from $US200 to $US1200.
Lewis does not attract the sort of attention in the US that hard-hitters Tua and Mike Tyson spark. HBO took 300,000 payers on cable for the Lewis-Grant fight: Tyson's worst-ever is 750,000.
