Trump’s ‘War Clause’ May Delay Title Fight, Move It to Las Vegas : Boxing: Mogul says Gulf conflict allows him to renegotiate fees to promoters of Holyfield, Foreman bout. Fight may be postponed one week.

Plans for the Evander Holyfield-George Foreman heavyweight championship fight scheduled for April 19 in Atlantic City, N.J., were thrown into disarray today when Donald Trump tried to invoke a “war clause” to renegotiate fees to be paid to the fight’s promoters.

The fight likely will be switched to Las Vegas and postponed a week, co-promoter Bob Arum said.

Arum, of Top Rank Inc., made the comments after a news conference attended by both fighters and Dan Duva of Main Events, the other co-promoter.

The promoters were guaranteed $11 million by Trump to hold the fight at his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, but Arum said Trump is trying to invoke the war clause in the contract and renegotiate the fee to between $5 million and $6 million.

Arum also said Trump was contracted to pay the promoters $2.5 million by Saturday and apparently can’t make the payment.

“It’s apparent Mr. Trump can’t perform the contract terms,” Arum said. “In that case we will move the fight to Las Vegas (at Caesar’s Palace). It also may be postponed a week to April 26.”

Arum said the original contract with Trump was signed Jan. 12, but amended Jan. 20 after the war in the Persian Gulf started. A provision in the contract said the fight could be postponed due to an act of God or a war, but “short of an invasion of Atlantic City by Saddam Hussein, that hasn’t happened,” Arum said.

“It’s a fabrication on behalf of Donald Trump to use the war to renegotiate a deal. I think it’s repulsive,” Duva said.

Trump said he has an “active war” clause that allows him to renegotiate the fee to the promoters.

Trump said the war is preventing travelers, especially gamblers from the Far East, from flying to Atlantic City.

Arum and Duva will meet with Trump in New York on Saturday.