BOXING / CHRIS DUFRESNE : Bowe’s Surprise 1-2 Combination Doesn’t Stop Donald

In an amazing public display of foolishness, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe socked Larry Donald in the jaw Monday at a Forum news conference hyping their nontitle heavyweight fight Saturday at Caesars Palace.

So, will Bowe get away with it?

“Yes,” said Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Because Bowe, at the time of the incident, was not licensed to box in California, the state in which the left-right combination was landed, or Nevada, site of Saturday’s fight, neither commission can fine Bowe.

“We have no jurisdiction, legally,” Ratner said.

Bowe, by the way, applied for and received his Nevada license on Wednesday.

The issue is far from resolved, however.

This is America, remember, land of the free and home of the lawsuit.

“We’ll see,” Steve Nelson, one of Donald’s managers, said when asked if legal action might be pursued. “We’ll be talking about things after the fight.”

Thanks to Rock Newman, Bowe’s manager, Donald’s team knows exactly how big a lemon there is to squeeze.

Before Bowe’s news-conference punches, Newman proudly revealed that his fighter, after taxes, had $15 million in the bank.

In the lawsuit business, that’s nice to know.

Donald probably had sufficient grounds to cancel the bout because of the incident, which left him with a minor cut on the inside of his lip.

But “Team Donald” said quitting was not an option.

“We never considered pulling out of the fight,” Nelson said. “At least we learned that Riddick is not the fighter he’s supposed to be.”

Donald made his feelings known by boycotting Wednesday’s news conference at Caesars. It was a lopsided dais. Nelson was the lone representative from the Donald camp. He read a prepared statement that roasted Bowe and demanded a public apology from Bowe’s manager, Newman.

The Gettysburg Address it wasn’t.

“Riddick Bowe violated all rules of proper conduct as a boxer and as a member of the human race,” Nelson read in part.

He called the act “an affront to all great heavyweights of the past,” and added, “When the going gets tough, Riddick Bowe breaks the rules.”

Nelson was making obvious reference to Bowe’s August fight against Buster Mathis Jr., ruled “no contest” because of a late punch thrown by Bowe.

Bowe refuses to apologize for the Donald incident. Newman also declined to make a public apology.

“The act that takes place between Team Bowe and Team Donald will be taken in a manner that is appropriate,” Newman said.

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Although Bowe’s antics were deplorable, his frustration is understandable.

Many consider him the best heavyweight in the world, but he is essentially being frozen out.

Some of it is his fault. Some of it is bad breaks. A lot of it is boxing politics.

Bowe lost his titles to Evander Holyfield at Caesars Palace in November of 1993 and has fought only once since.

The Holyfield defeat, a close fight, remains Bowe’s only loss in 35 bouts.

For this sin, Bowe dropped out of the World Boxing Council’s top-10 rankings. This is the same organization that recently announced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will be installed as the No. 1 contender if he is released from prison, as expected, next May.

Some would say this is the price Bowe and Newman have paid for wielding their independence--or was it arrogance?--during their world-championship run.

Bowe’s inactivity did not help. Back spasms and injury forced the cancellation of one fight and threw two more into limbo.

More than that, two boxing bombshells knocked Bowe off the comeback trail.

First, Oliver McCall upset World Boxing Council champion Lennox Lewis in England, spoiling a ready-made, million-dollar matchup between Bowe and Lewis.

A McCall-Bowe fight probably will not occur because McCall is promoted by Don King, and he is lining McCall up for an eventual WBC title shot against Tyson, another of King’s clients.

The other setback for Bowe occurred when George Foreman shocked Michael Moorer last month, killing off a likely Bowe-Moorer matchup for the World Boxing Assn. and International Boxing Federation titles.

Don’t expect Foreman to seek out Bowe, who is as big and strong as Foreman and 20 years younger. Foreman will probably sit on his titles until spring and wait for one, career-ending, big-buck payday against Tyson.

All of which leaves Bowe out in the cold.

“With all these cat-and-mouse games, I can’t do nothing but get frustrated,” Bowe said this week.

Newman said Foreman has been offered $20 million to fight Bowe.

“If he considers himself champion, George should be knocking my door down,” Newman said. “It hasn’t happened.”

Newman said McCall has been offered $5 million to fight his man.

No reply.

Newman’s plan of attack is to circumvent the three major organizations and have Bowe fight Herbie Hide for the lightly regarded World Boxing Organization title in March.

“He will legitimize the WBO title,” Newman said of Bowe. “Then, get in line for the Tyson sweepstakes. We’ll be there. Bowe-Tyson will be worth triple any other fight.”

Newman, naturally, figures that Tyson-Bowe is the next fight of the century, not Foreman-Tyson.

“I think of that as the mismatch of mismatches that never turns into a big fight,” Newman said of Foreman-Tyson.

Newman is hedging that Foreman won’t last long enough to meet Tyson.

Newman, in fact, predicts that Bowe will fight Tyson in either September of 1995 or April of 1996.

“It is imminent, in spite of their reluctance,” Newman said. “Riddick getting a championship belt is imminent.”

For Newman, it will make for sweet redemption.

“They’ll have the horror of having to deal with me,” he said.

Of course, Bowe has to beat Donald first.

Boxing Notes

Manager Jackie Kallen has not spoken to James Toney since the former International Boxing Federation super-middleweight champion threatened to kill her two days after losing his title to Roy Jones Jr. on Nov. 18. Toney fired Kallen in that post-fight tirade, but Kallen continues to act on Toney’s behalf. The two are contractually bound through July and Kallen is trying to book fights for Toney, who looks to reclaim his name as a light-heavyweight. Kallen admits their relationship is probably doomed. “I think an apology would be in order, but I’m just not expecting it,” she said. If Toney fights again before July, don’t expect to see Kallen in his corner. “That seems far-fetched,” she said. “I guess it’s like if you had a pit bull that you raised as a puppy, and it turned on you, and mauled you badly. You wouldn’t put it to sleep, but you wouldn’t be as close to that dog. You’d be more cautious. That’s how I feel.”

Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, trying to resume his career despite a heart problem, has fired manager Shelly Finkel. Finkel, who has managed many prominent fighters, notably Pernell Whitaker, said the split was inevitable because Finkel was against Holyfield’s returning to the ring. Holyfield is trying to get removed from boxing’s medical suspension list and licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He recently passed heart tests at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Riddick Bowe weighed in for Saturday night’s fight at 241 pounds, six pounds lighter than his fight in August against Buster Mathis Jr. Bowe’s weight has always been a source of concern, although his trainer, veteran Eddie Futch, said too much is made of it. “I’m amused, sometimes, that people insist on me trying to keep Riddick at a certain weight,” Futch said. “He’s a heavyweight. There’s no limit on a heavyweight.” Larry Donald weighed 228.