Lewis’ Manager Slams Ben Johnson : Track: Calling the runner a ‘cheater,’ Joe Douglas said Lewis is unconcerned with Canadian’s return.

Carl Lewis’ manager said he is not concerned with Ben Johnson’s expected return to track competition, calling him “a cheater” and questioning his ability as a drug-free sprinter.

Joe Douglas, manager of the Santa Monica Track Club that includes Lewis and Leroy Burrell, also today likened some of the initial negotiations for a multimillion-dollar showdown race between Lewis and Johnson to “a circus.”

“What he (Johnson) does really doesn’t concern us,” Douglas said. “I don’t consider him a threat unless he comes back on drugs. He’s a cheater . . . he made a lot of money out of fraud.”

Johnson beat Lewis in the 100-meter dash at the 1988 Seoul Olympics with a world-record time of 9.79 seconds, but was stripped of his gold medal and his record after testing positive for steroids.

Johnson was banned from competition for two years. Lewis, who finished second at Seoul in 9.92 seconds, holds the world record.

But with Johnson’s ban coming to an end, he has resumed training and hopes to race against Lewis, possibly in the form of a lucrative showdown.

Douglas acknowledged that talks for such a race have begun.

“We’ve been approached several times,” Douglas said. “Nothing has been finalized, and I know that because I’m the one who does the negotiating.”

But Douglas said that the offers have “all been too much of a circus.”

“One was for them to run on a boardwalk, another for a race in a parking lot,” he said. “I don’t think the people were credible.”

Douglas said the largest offer so far was for $6 million. He refused to give further details.

“Our position is clear: We want drug testing, the financing has to be good, and it must promote the sport,” Douglas said. “Many other people, not just Johnson, can offer us that.”

Douglas is here with Lewis and Burrell, who are scheduled to race in the 100 meters in tomorrow’s Toto Super Track Meet ’90. Burrell beat Lewis in the 100 at the Goodwill Games in July and owns the year’s fastest time--9.96.

If Johnson and Lewis are to race each other again, it could be in Tokyo, which hosts the 1991 World Championships. Johnson has said he hopes to compete in that meet.