WBA welterweight champion Guyana's Andrew `Sixhead' Lewis and challenger Ricardo Mayorga continued their war of words yesterday with the latest verbal assaults punctuated by stinging inserts from the managers of the two fighters.

Reports from the Sovereign Centre in Pennsylvania where a press conference was held yesterday, state that Lewis' manager Nelson Fernandez, and Mayorga's head man, traded barbs, with the latter pledging that it will be the fastest knockout in the history of the welterweight division.

"They know that `Six' is the better conditioned guy. Mayorga and his manager just wanted to talk a lot of f...," Fernandez said yesterday.

And in an article which hit news stands yesterday

the champion promised to hit his opponent so hard he will forget everything.

The article, headlined `Will cooler Heads prevail", appeared in The New York Daily News . It reported that Mayorga said he was going to break Lewis' ribs enroute to a third round knockout.

Lewis, the paper said, was participating in a telephone conference to talk about the rematch with the challenger and was keeping his cool until Mayorga promised to break his ribs. "I'm going to hit Mayorga so hard, he's going to forget who his manager and trainer are. He is going to forget everything."

The two fighters will square off this Saturday night in what will be Lewis' third title defence since heaping `licks' on James Page to grab the crown.

At the Sovereign Centre yesterday Mayorga warned that the Guyanese will pay for the tongue lashing that Fernandez dished out on his camp.

"We love all that Mayorga is doing. It may give us more credibility when we win," Fernandez told Stabroek Sport. Meanwhile, Guyanese boxing buffs residing in the U.S. are still split on the strategy Lewis should use on Saturday night. Former middleweight champion Brian Muller agreed with the advice of ex champions Reggie Forde and Patrick Forde, stating that Lewis, who has been named the third best welterweight in the world in the July 2002 issue of Ring Magazine, should box for the opening rounds then turn up the pressure.

"Lewis does not have to rush Mayorga. If he boxes everything will come to him," the former champion said.

Muller, who now resides in Las Vegas, theorised that it is not good to rush a charging bull and predicted that the champion will retain his belt in convincing fashion if he follows that fight plan.

But on the other hand world rated heavyweight Andre `Stone' Purlette said that Saturday's bout may be the most important in the career of `The Albouystown Cyclone'. "My man Andrew has to come out like there is no tomorrow. He has to give it a shot as if he is now going for the world title. He can't play. It should go out like lightning from the first bell," Purlette said.

"This is a very serious fight and `Six' has to be serious from the first round," the world ranked heavyweight added.

Lewis and his camp arrived in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Fernandez claimed that there is no need to worry about the champ, who has fought as a welterweight for over a decade,not making the 147 pounds limit.

"He left the gym yesterday at 148 pounds and we are not at all worried about his weight," said Fernandez. The official weigh-in is scheduled for 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. The following day both boxers will be invited to visit the scales for a second time and must weigh not more than 10 pounds than the amount recorded the previous day.