Associated Press

Heavyweight champion Hasim Raham, center, and Lennox Lewis, right, scuffle as an unidentified man, left, tries to separate the two boxers in the image made from television during the taping of a interview with Gary Miller on "Up Close" in Anaheim, Calif.

Friday August 31, 2001

NEW YORK -Call it the "Mickey Mouse Maul."

Hasim Rahman and Lennox Lewis exchanged words, chest bumps, then wrestled on the floor during an interview yesterday at ESPN Zone at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

Since they are supposed to fight for about$10 million each on pay-per-view Nov. 17 in Las Vegas, the scuffle could have driven their accountants, managers, HBO executives and promoter Don King goofy.

The only injury was to a table. No punches were thrown.

"I'm sorry about the table," Lewis said through a fight publicist.

The scuffle broke out while they were being interviewed by Gary Miller on "Up Close" on ESPN.

Lewis obviously was upset by a comment Rahman made earlier on a radio show.

"Why did you say I was gay? I'm not gay," said Lewis, who will try to regain the titles he lost to Rahman on a fifth-round knockout in South Africa.

"I said you were acting gay, taking it to the court," said Rahman, referring to Lewis filing suit to force Rahman into a rematch before he made a championship defense against anyone else.

Lewis then made a remark about Rahman's sister.

"Don't say anything about my family," the champion said.

The two men then stood up, bumping chests as they exchanged words. Lewis shoved Rahman, and they wrestled one another to the floor, with Rahman on top before he was pulled off. They then briefly scuffled again.

"What I don't understand is that a true heavyweight champion would not disrespect an opponent with unjustified taunts and jibes," Lewis said later in a statement. "Today, Rock woke up the lion within me. Now I'm going to crush the Rock in the ring, regain my belt and bring some dignity back to the heavyweight crown."

If Lewis wins, would he be the "Lion King?"

The hype for the fight began Tuesday at a news conference in Rahman's hometown of Baltimore. Another new conference was held Wednesday in New York at which Lewis said there was no way Rahman could beat him again and that he would retire if it happened.

Still another was scheduled for today at Las Vegas. The fight will be carried by TVKO, HBO's pay-per-view arm.