TIME WARNER FILES SUIT BETWEEN ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

     Time Warner has filed an action in U.S. District Court in
New York, "seeking a declaratory judgement" that its contract
with heavyweight Riddick Bowe and his manager Rock Newman is
"still valid," according to William Gildea of the WASHINGTON
POST.  Newman reportedly has been "trying to free" Bowe from a
"long-standing and lucrative relationship with Time Warner" to
make independent deals.  Newman said on Friday that he and Bowe
had "no obligation" to Time Warner's HBO and their pay-per-view
arm, TVKO.  TVKO had been set to televise a Bowe-Lennox Lewis
fight, but the legal dispute could delay that fight.  Time Warner
Sports President Seth Abraham has said the company has a multi-
fight contract with Bowe and would like the Bowe-Lewis pay-per-
view fight in April.  Newman would like to get HBO and Showtime
into a "bidding war" over Bowe-Lewis, with the hope of an
eventual Showtime-backed Bowe-Tyson fight (WASHINGTON POST,
1/14).