Boxing: Lewis to defend WBC title

Lennox Lewis is to defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Shannon Briggs on 28 March.

The bout will take place in Atlantic City and is to be televised in the United States by HBO.

Last month, Lewis had agreed to fight Evander Holyfield, the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion, for the undisputed world title, but the contest fell through after arguments over the purse.

Lewis, a Briton who fought for Canada as an amateur, defeated the Polish- born Andrew Golota in a title defence in early October, which was his last fight.

Lewis, who has won 32 of his 33 professional fights, is also facing a mandatory defence of his WBC title against the European champion, Zeljko Mavrovic of Croatia, in London in June.

Briggs, 26, beat the former world champion George Foreman on a controversial majority decision on 22 November, after which Foreman announced his retirement.

Naseem Hamed will make the 10th defence of his World Boxing Organisation world featherweight title on 28 March. In his last fight, Hamed stopped Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden on 19 December. No opponent or venue for his latest defence have been announced.