DaytonDailyNews.com

All of a sudden, it's not certain they will ever get to throw hands, but if they do, they'll sure look good doing it.

Well, at least one will.

On a day when their 10-round fight — scheduled for this coming Sunday in Covington, Ky. — was postponed for at least another week, Dayton heavyweight Rocky Phillips and former two-time world champ Riddick Bowe did the only thing they could.

They went to a Dayton nail salon.

Yep, that was "Big Daddy" Bowe — all 285-plus pounds of him — getting a manicure and pedicure Monday evening at Rose Nails on Brown Street as Phillips sat nearby watching and wisecracking.

"Anymore I don't know if I got a heavyweight fight on my hands or a reality show," old-school matchmaker Don Elbaum said by phone from Covington. "I've seen just about everything in the fight game, but nothing quite like this."

There have been five different dates and five sites for this show, which may or may not go off Aug. 24 in Northern Kentucky. Monday morning, Elbaum and his son Kipp, who assists him, said the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority raised a couple of red flags on the bout, including requesting a new physical for Bowe, who turned 40 last Friday.

"We're hoping for Aug. 24," Don Elbaum said, "but right now everything's up in the air."

Not everything. One of Bowe's size-13 feet was submerged in a spa tub Monday evening as nail specialist Kym Vo worked on his other set of toes.

"Started doing this eight years ago when I met my wife," Bowe said as he nodded at Terri, who was getting her nails done while their 2-year-old daughter Morgan played with Phillips' three daughters.

Seeing Rocky squirm, Bowe grinned: "Hey, I just want to look pretty. Anything less would be ... uncivilized."

And when it's come to prefight fraternizing with some other pugs he's faced, Bowe has been much less civil.

At a 1994 press conference, he sucker-punched Cincinnati heavyweight Larry Donald who was rattling off insults. A year later, he threw a glass at Cuban opponent Jorge Luis Gonzalez, who had said he'd kill Bowe. At other sessions, they were separated by Plexiglas.

And his two fights with Andrew Golota ended in disqualifications after the Polish heavyweight repeatedly slugged him in the testicles.

"It was nasty with some of them, but Rocky's a good guy," Bowe said. "It'll be business in the ring, but nothing's personal."

The two have been staying in the same Northern Kentucky hotel as they've readied for the fight and Phillips has gone out to eat with the Bowes four times, including Monday at Hickory Bar-B-Que on Brown Street. That's where Bowe devoured a slab of ribs before crossing the street to pamper his hands and feet.

"C'mon Rocky, try it," Bowe needled.

Phillips shook his head: "No way, I'm an Italian hillbilly."

But before long Rocky was in the spirit.

When Bowe asked Vo for a facial, she shook her head: "No, we don't do facials."

"Don't worry," Rocky grinned. "I'm planning on giving you the facial."