Tyson-Holyfield Talks Break Off : Boxing: Fight won’t be held until after January, if at all. Heavyweight champion will face another challenger in next bout.

Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield’s next title defense will not be against Mike Tyson.

Unable to come up with a January date for a Holyfield-Tyson fight, promoter Dan Duva said Tuesday the postponed match will be rescheduled “for some time after January 1992.”

That means it is possible the fight never will take place. Tyson is scheduled to go on trial in Marion County Court in Indianapolis on Jan. 27 on a charge of rape and related charges.

Holyfield will fight against an opponent to be decided in late November. Duva said the fight will be on HBO rather than on TVKO pay-per-view television, where the Holyfield-Tyson fight would have been televised.

Duva said a site, opponent and date will be announced in the next few days.

Opponents who have been mentioned include Ray Mercer, former champion Larry Holmes and journeyman Alex Garcia.

Rock Newman, manager of Riddick Bowe, ranked second by the World Boxing Council behind Tyson, said he will appeal to the WBC to have Bowe step in for Tyson.

A Holyfield-Bowe fight does not appear likely without pay-per-view-television.

A pay-per-view TV format also would seem necessary for a Holyfield-George Foreman rematch. Foreman, who lost to Holyfield in April, is scheduled to fight Jimmy Ellis on Dec. 7 at Nassau, Bahamas on HBO.

While Duva would not talk about opponents, sites or dates, two cities that have been mentioned are Holyfield’s hometown of Atlanta, and Atlantic City, N.J. Two dates mentioned are Nov. 23 and Nov. 30.

“We were unable to find a date in January to reschedule the Holyfield-Tyson fight that would be acceptable to all parties,” Duva said after meetings with representatives of TVKO and Caesars Palace and with Don King, Tyson’s promoter.

The fight was scheduled for Nov. 8 outdoors at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It was postponed last Friday because of a rib injury to Tyson.

Also last Friday, Judge Patricia J. Gifford of Marion County Superior Court denied a request by attorneys for Tyson to delay the Jan. 27 trial.

Should Tyson be convicted, he would face up to 63 years in prison.

The Holyfield-Tyson fight shaped up as the richest in the history of boxing, with a gross of more than $100 million and more than 2 million homes taking the pay-per-view telecast. Holyfield was guaranteed $30 million and Tyson $15 million, with both men expected to make more on percentage deals.