Lennox Lewis faced Mike Tyson way back in 2002 with both fighters coming towards the end of their respective careers.
Despite the excitement that surrounded the heavyweight showdown over 20 years ago, fans and pundits were somewhat sceptical with ‘Iron’ Mike seemingly past his devastating best.
The build-up to the contest in June 2002 was fiery to say the least, with both fighters and their respective camps clashing on a number of occasions, including at one of the press conferences.
Lewis was the favourite going into it, which ended up proving to be the case from the opening bell as ‘The Lion’ took control of proceedings, going on to knock out ‘Iron’ Mike in the eighth round.
It’s no secret that a bout between the heavyweight legends would have been all the more intriguing if they had fought in their primes, in what could have been one of the greatest heavyweight battles of all time.
Speaking on social media, heavyweight legend George Foreman was asked to predict the result if Lewis and Tyson had actually clashed when they were at their best, to which he said this.
“Lewis. So much height and reach.”
‘Big’ George didn’t end up facing either men during the back end of his career, which saw him become the oldest world heavyweight champion in history when he defeated Michael Moorer in 1994.
Lewis retired from boxing just one year after his win over Tyson, ending his career with a sixth round stoppage of Vitali Klitschko.
‘Iron’ Mike made a sensational return to the sport in November when he faced Youtube sensation Jake Paul in Texas, losing in an eight round contest at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
