LONDON, OCT 14: Rumble in the Jungle II?That's what an African king has in mind with his improbable bid to stage the World heavyweight title rematch between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis in Uganda.The fight is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on November 13, but Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II - monarch of Buganda, a kingdom of Uganda - has offered to stage the show in Kampala, capital of the East African nation.Forget it, said Panos Eliades, Lewis' promoter. ``He's left it a bit late,'' Eliades said. ``He's missed the boat. Thank you, but he should get his order in beforehand. The fight is only four weeks away and the tickets have all been sold. And he wants to come in with a deal now ?''The king has lined up more than $ 15 million in financial backing for the fight from commercial sponsors in Uganda, London-based spokesman Kizzi Nkwocha said. ``This is a very serious bid,'' he said. ``Las Vegas has made a strong offer, but Uganda is willing to match anything that has already been put on thetable. We're hoping to appeal not just on the financial side but the historical side. It's time for a heavyweight title fight to go back to Africa.''It's been 25 years since Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in Kinshasha, Zaire, a fight billed as the `Rumble in the Jungle'.Nkwocha said the king's associates would lobby US promoter Don King to move the fight to Uganda's Nelson Mandela Stadium.``Don King has always been regarded as a maverick,'' he said. ``We're hoping that his sense of history wins the day.''Nkwocha described the 45-year-old king as a ``passionate boxing fan''.Buganda is the largest and most politically influential of Uganda's traditional kingdoms. The king lived in exile in Britain but returned after Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni restored the Buganda monarchy six years ago.
