Evander Holyfield and Frank Bruno have opened up about Lennox Lewis's personal attacks before their fights. The two heavyweight boxing legends shared their experiences with the former undisputed champion's pre-fight tactics in separate interviews.
Holyfield, who cleaned up all belts at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight and winning all belts there too, spoke to Box Nation about an incident before his first fight with Lewis.
"Lennox the only person that I let get under my skin. With me, things are personal when you talk about individual things."
Holyfield explained that Lewis had said, "How you going to say you're a Christian when you have kids out of wedlock?" This comment hit a nerve, causing Holyfield to react emotionally and declare, "I'm going to knock you out."
Frank Bruno, a much-loved British sporting figure who lifted a world title on his fourth attempt, shared a similar experience. Speaking to DAZN Boxing, Bruno revealed that before their 1993 fight, Lewis used a derogatory term aimed at Bruno's mother.
"It was such a massive fight but he was upsetting me by saying such stupid things which I shouldn't have let get to me. I don't know how that two-faced rat could say someone's an Uncle Tom when his mum comes from the same Jamaica as my mum. I would never call my mum that I would never call someone that, but he hit that low. I don't need to come off my pedestal and grovel to him, he's nothing to me, that was very nasty, you may not understand it but I understand it, he can take that thank you and stuff and put it where the sun don't shine."
Despite the pre-fight controversies, Lewis went on to beat Bruno. His encounters with Holyfield were more complex. Their first fight in 1999 for the undisputed title ended in a controversial draw. Later that year, in the rematch, Lewis won via unanimous decision.
Watch this story: Evander Holyfield Reveals Surprising Truth About Mike Tyson's Punching Power: "Not The Hardest"
These revelations from Holyfield and Bruno shed light on the psychological tactics employed by Lewis during his career, tactics that clearly left lasting impressions on his opponents.