KING MULLING HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNEY.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL Boxing

China must have agreed with Don King.

He returned last week from the world's most populous nation, where he was doing advance promotion for his Aug. 4 card in Beijing, open to some intriguing possibilities for newly signed WBC-IBF heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman and the division.

Or maybe it's a June 11 court date that has changed King's mind about plans to have the winners of the Rahman-Brian Nielsen and John Ruiz-Evander Holyfield fights in China vie for the undisputed heavyweight title.

A New York judge will hear lawsuits by former champion Lennox Lewis and promoter Cedric Kushner. Lewis says Rahman must honor a rematch clause from their first fight and Kushner claims he has the rights to Rahman.

Whatever is influencing King, he has some interesting ideas.

One, he's open to having Rahman face Lewis - who is not promoted by King - immediately after he beats the mediocre Nielsen. And he said Lewis' lawsuit really doesn't have much to do with it.

``Rahman is ready and willing to fight Lennox Lewis,'' King said at LAX, minutes after he landed with Ruiz from their trip to China. ``... Just because he signed with me doesn't mean he won't fight the guy.

``I want (Rahman) to fight the guy.''

That would seem to leave WBA titleholder Ruiz out in the cold, at least for the time being. He had hoped to face the winner of Rahman-Nielsen in a matchup that would earn him his biggest payday and the respect he believes still eludes him.

However, he said at the airport he won't mind if Rahman fights Lewis and then faces him.

``I heard that,'' Ruiz said of the potential Rahman-Lewis matchup. ``... They have the rematch clause. Lewis will never beat him. It won't matter.''

And, two, King said he'd like to play a role - the key role, of course - in a heavyweight tournament similar to the middleweight tournament involving Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, William Joppy and Keith Holmes that culminates with a Trinidad-Hopkins bout in September.

Who would the four heavyweights be? King liked the idea of Rahman (assuming he beats Nielsen), the Ruiz-Holyfield winner, Lewis and Mike Tyson.

Tyson? The same Tyson who vowed never again to fight when King is involved?

``This is not politics, this is sports,'' King said. ``Let's take politics out of this. ... I have no problem with Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson thinks he has a problem with me because that's what someone is telling him.''

Anyway, let's hope King isn't just talking. Let's hope he's serious about his plans and is able to pull them off.

--Title talk: A reader questioned whether Sugar Ray Leonard won titles in five weight classes.

In fact, he did. They are: welterweight (Wilfredo Benitez, 1979); junior middleweight (Ayub Kalule, 1981); middleweight (Marvin Hagler, 1987); super middleweight, and light heavyweight (Don Lalonde, 1988).

The key was the Lalonde fight, in which Leonard won Lalonde's WBC light heavyweight title and the newly created WBC super middleweight (168 pounds) belt. Leonard weighed 165 pounds for the fight, Lalonde 167.

As it turns out, Thomas Hearns doesn't have titles in five weight classes. He won belts in six weight divisions, but the final two - super middleweight and cruiserweight - were sanctioned by the fringe WBO (super middle) and WBU and IBO (cruiser).

Thus, Leonard is actually the only fighter to win titles in five weight classes.

Oscar De La Hoya has said he'll be fighting for a title in his fifth weight class when he faces WBC junior middleweight champ Javier Castillejo on June 23, but his first title was sanctioned by the WBO.

--Rabbit punches: The Joel Casamayor-Acelino Freitas fight reportedly is back on again.

Freitas, whose handlers had said recently he couldn't make 130 pounds, is scheduled to face the WBA junior lightweight champ July 14, possibly in Las Vegas. ...

WBC welterweight champ Shane Mosley's HBO fight July 21 reportedly will take place in Indianapolis. His opponent has yet to be announced.

Former heavyweight contender Michael Grant will fight on the undercard. ...

Naseem Hamed, coming off his loss to Marco Antonio Barrera, reportedly has fired trainer Emanuel Steward and hasn't settled upon a replacement.

--Coming up: Stevie Johnston faces Dario Esalas in a 10-round lightweight bout Friday in Las Vegas on ESPN2.

Undefeated Jesse Reid Jr., the son of trainer Jesse Reid, faces Charles Wilson in an eight-round cruiserweight bout Thursday at Sequoia Conference Center in Buena Park.