Boxing: Lewis ready for Bowe's new offer: Heavyweight title negotiations leave Bruno without a fight

THE BREAKDOWN of the Lennox Lewis-Frank Bruno showdown could hasten a unification fight against Riddick Bowe. Lewis's camp are now expecting a '50-50' offer from his great rival for a meeting early in 1994.

As negotiations for a Lewis- Tommy Morrison World Boxing Council title fight near completion, the champion's manager Frank Maloney is claiming that Bowe has been 'outmanoeuvred' and the only big-money assignment left for the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion is the one against Lewis.

Bowe's outspoken manager, Rock Newman, was also bidding to secure a Morrison fight. 'I've heard that he is ready to come to the table with a 50-50 offer, and that's what I'm expecting,' Maloney said. 'It's always been our objective to get Bowe in the ring, but we've got nowhere.'

Previous approaches from Newman for a unification fight have been heavily loaded in Bowe's favour, and have never been taken too seriously by Lewis's handlers.

The Lewis-Morrison fight is expected to go ahead in Las Vegas in the last week of October or first week in November, and has torpedoed the Lewis-Bruno meeting.

Maloney, meanwhile, asked by Gary Mason to assist him in his comeback plan, has agreed to try to find Mason an American promoter.

It is very much in the balance whether Mason will be regranted a licence by the British Boxing Board of Control following his history of eye trouble. So he may have to pursue more accessible routes in the United States. 'Nothing is definite, but I am considering a comeback,' Mason said, adding that his return was due to financial circumstances.