Boxing: Maloney flies off to tie up Holyfield fight

Lennox Lewis's manager, Frank Maloney, flew out to New York yesterday hoping to agree terms for a unification fight with World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield.

Maloney and the World Boxing Council holder's backer Panos Eliades will meet with American promoter Don King and all parties with the aim of setting up a three-title showdown in April or May.

It has been reported that Holyfield is making such huge financial demands that the fight will be difficult to put together but Maloney said: "Nobody knows what Holyfield wants. It will all come out at the meeting. No figures have been mentioned yet, but a 60-40 share of the purse is what we are looking at."

Prince Naseem Hamed and Chris Eubank have been warned by the British Boxing Board of Control over last month's fracas at Heathrow.

The world champions present and past have been told by the Board that any similar incident will result in disciplinary action.

John Morris, the Board secretary, said yesterday: "It is much to be regretted when egos clash in this way, and whatever the private dispute there may or may not be between these two, we feel that it does nothing for the reputation of the boxer, apart from any damage it might do to boxing."

Hamed was leaving for the World Boxing Organisation annual convention in Los Angeles when he clashed with Eubank at Terminal 3.

The flashpoint came when Sheffield's featherweight champion asked Eubank if he wanted to take look at his title belts and promoter Frank Warren, an eye witness, said: "Eubank struck Hamed and Hamed retaliated by striking Eubank."

Both fighters have publicly aired their versions, but the Board's statement reads: "The British Board of Control studied reports of the recent "scuffle'' between Naseem Hamed and Chris Eubank at Heathrow Airport and, without apportioning blame, believes that behaviour of this sort for whatever reason damages the image of boxing.