Boxing: Lewis investment promises to leave King at a loss: The British-born WBC heavyweight champion's lack of interest in raising his US profile is feeding Don King's conspiracy theories. Ken Jones reports from Las Vegas

THE haunting wail of the loser is a familiar sound here but nobody ever expected to hear it from Don King, who cannot avoid the conclusion that Saturday's contest for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship is shaping up to be a promotional disaster.

The coming together of Lennox Lewis and Tony Tucker has received such scant attention on this side of the Atlantic that more than half the seats at the Thomas and Mack Centre remain unsold and business is so slow at pay-per-view TV outlets that King may not cover the dollars 15m ( pounds 9.7m) he invested in another attempt to regain a foothold in the heavyweight division.

To get over his disappointment, King indulges in the notion of a conspiracy initiated by Main Events, the New York-based Duva organisation that promoted the former undisputed champion, Evander Holyfield, and secured five options on Lewis, the only British-born heavyweight this century to hold at least a share of the title.

The tone for the production was established early when King directed his rage and indignation at Lewis's manager, Frank Maloney, demeaning him publicly for refusing to co-operate in a campaign aimed at giving the WBC champion a higher profile in the United States.

Maybe that in itself is a commentary on the parlous state of boxing among the giants since Mike Tyson was incarcerated for rape, but the important thing is that in venting his spleen King has simply sharpened Lewis's mind to the perils of hooking up with him. A disputed cut of dollars 600,000 from his original purse of dollars 9m was more than enough to keep Lewis and Maloney on their toes, but their caginess does not entirely explain why there is no great local interest in this week's proceedings.

There would be even less had King not taken out insurance, wheeling in the brilliant Julio Cesar Chavez, whose defence of the WBC super- lightweight championship ensures that the promotion will at least attract a Mexican audience.

This ought not to be thought strange or a typical American response to the efforts of British heavyweights. The truth is that Lewis will have to produce a spectacular performance to improve his reputation here and be thought of as a credible challenger to Riddick Bowe, who is unquestionably the true heavyweight champion.

For example, Lewis was only introduced fleetingly last week when appearing on the networked David Letterman television chat show. 'Thanks for coming, hope we see you again,' Letterman said.

Cruelly, in some quarters Lewis v Tucker is referred to as a rumour. In spite of losing only one of 50 professional contests, and that on points against a then rampant Tyson in defence of the International Boxing Federation title, Tucker, at 33, is considered way past his best. Outside American boxing circles, Lewis is a question. Who?

But Lewis, guaranteed a purse that makes him by far the biggest earner in the history of European boxing, shows little enthusiasm for joining in the parade. He has his meals cooked in private, the calculating Pepe Correa mapping his strategy, the entourage keeping him company and a growing sense of what it takes to keep the wolf at bay.

There is more to it than that, of course. The jibes are always there, partly the outcrop of King's mounting paranoia. 'They (the Duvas) are taking Lewis down the same path they took Holyfield,' he roars. 'They want a docile champion. They may make him rich, but never a hero.'

Considering the fate that befell Tyson, the rapid deterioration in his powers after forming an alliance with King, that is like hurling stones from the door of a greenhouse. But more to the point, none of this sells tickets.

They say business will pick up, and with the arrival from London of some 2,000 Lewis supporters, the sense of a heavyweight occasion is sure to become more acute. But right now you will not come across many people who think it to be the best game in town.

(Photograph omitted)