Lewis signs 7-fight deal, hopes to meet Holyfield

Lennox Lewis has a new seven-fight deal with HBO, and the cable network is hoping the second fight will be against Evander Holyfield.

While announcing the deal Wednesday, Seth Abraham, president of sports for Time Warner, operator of HBO, said Holyfield has been offered $20 million for a heavyweight championship unification fight against Lewis, who could make $10 million for the pay-per-view match either Dec. 5 or Dec. 12.Lewis is scheduled to make a mandatory WBC title defense against Zelko Mavrovic of Croatia in September.

"The only reason this fight will not go ahead is if Evander Holy-field does not want it," Abraham said.

Jim Thomas, Holyfield's attorney, wasn't pleased about how the offer was made.

The announced offer, "without any communications with me, makes me very skeptical of their motives," said Thomas, adding he heard of the offer and discussed it with Holyfield. He declined to give the WBA-IBF champion's reaction. He said Holyfield wants to fight Lewis but does not need to.