Tommy Hilfiger PUNCHES Axl Rose!!!!

BEHIND nearly every good bar fight is a beautiful woman - and the epic nightclub clash between Axl Rose and Tommy Hilfiger is no exception.
While some say Hilfiger popped Rose in the eye after the Guns N' Roses frontman moved Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink at The Plumm last Thursday night, Page Six has learned that the combatants have been at odds since Rose started dating Diane O'Connor, the ex-wife of Hilfiger's adopted brother, denim designer Michael H.

One source even went so far as to claim that the Hilfiger brothers had made a "pact" to pummel Rose on sight. While we're not sure we believe that the preppie fashion icon - who just sold his empire for $1.6 billion - would engage in such premeditated thuggery, it might explain his seemingly unprovoked attack on Rose.

A spokeswoman for Hilfiger declined repeated requests for comment yesterday, and Rose's manager did not return calls.

But Rose told Page Six in an exclusive interview after the brawl that Hilfiger may have been angry because the designer - whom Rose described as "foaming at the mouth" - had been told to move to make room for the rock god and his entourage.

Other witnesses said Hilfiger went nuclear after Rose moved a drink belonging to Hilfiger's girlfriend.

When Guns N' Roses took the stage shortly after the scuffle to perform an acoustic set to mark actress Rosario Dawson's 27th birthday, Rose - sporting a small red mark under his eye - dedicated the song "You're Crazy" to "my good friend Tommy Hilfiger."

But if O'Connor was the reason for his rift with Hilfiger, Rose was sticking to his story on Sunday afternoon, when artist Mark Kostabi ran into him on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea.

Kostabi, who designed the cover of GN'R's 1991 album "Use Your Illusion," tells us that Rose was amused by the photograph of Hilfiger crouched in what appeared to be a karate pose on the cover of Saturday's Post. The instant classic was snapped moments before the frothing fashionista punched Rose.

"I don't hold any grudge against him," Rose said of Hilfiger on Sunday. "I just don't understand him. I loved the way the photo in The Post made it look like [Hilfiger] was doing karate chops!"

Axl also confirmed our scoop that he plans to move to New York after GN'R's tour of Europe this summer.