Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis met one another in one of the biggest heavyweight boxing fights of all time in 2002.
‘Iron Mike’ was looking to regain his heavyweight crown against the English fighter as the two of the greatest heavyweights of all time clashed in Memphis.
Coming off of a retirement victory over Brian Nielsen in the sixth round, Tyson had strung together four wins since his infamous disqualification against Evander Holyfield.
As for Lewis, he had just got revenge for his loss over Hasim Rahman, reclaiming the IBF, IBO, and WBC World Heavyweight titles. Lewis even got advice from Nelson Mandela to reclaim his heavyweight throne.
The meeting between the heavyweights was a fiery one, with the action starting before the pair even stepped in the ring.
Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis brawl at pre-fight press conference
In January of 2002, five months prior to their fight, Tyson and Lewis would come face to face in a press conference for the bout.
As the press conference began, Tyson had taken his place on a platform and was ready for his media obligations. Then, Lewis was introduced as he emerged into public view.
Just seconds after Lewis came out, he was approached by Tyson.
As Tyson walked towards the champion, Lewis’ team began to step up, in fear that something may transpire. This then led to Tyson throwing a punch at one of the members of his opponent’s team, and a fight broke out.
Lewis responded to Tyson’s actions by throwing a punch of his own at his opponent before bodies began to fall over one another and the scene became a mess.
The scuffle would continue for quite some time after the first punch was thrown, with a sea of people in between the two heavyweights.
Tyson then emerged to the front and said, “You can’t touch me, you’re not man enough.”
The kerfuffle at the press conference did cause people at the time to wonder if the fight would go ahead or not, however, it did.
Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson ended in brutal knockout
Just as the press conference was, the fight between Lewis and Tyson would be a fiery, physical affair. Lewis was even deducted a point during the fight for pushing Tyson over.
Lewis was leading the majority of the fight and was seemingly ahead of the scorecards as the title showdown entered the eighth round.
Tyson would get knocked down in the eighth round, following an uppercut from the British fighter. Making the count, the fight would resume.
However, Lewis would then land a crushing right hand on the chin of Tyson, who was sent crashing down to the canvas. Unable to recover, the fight was called off.
The fight would end up being the second-last of Lewis’ career, who retired the following year after defeating Vitali Klitschko.