Lennox Lewis, the retired heavyweight champion, has made a surprising revelation about his career. The fighter known as 'The Lion' says his victory over Mike Tyson was the easiest of his career.
Lewis shared this insight during a recent interview with The Ring Magazine. He credits his trainer, Emanuel Steward, for predicting the ease of the fight against 'Iron Mike'.
"Emanuel Steward told me it would be my easiest fight. And I went like 'My easiest fight?' and he said, 'Yes that's gonna be your easiest fight.'"
Lewis went on to explain why Steward's prediction turned out to be true.
"And then I realised why he said that. All my fights leading up to that was preparation for Tyson."
The bout between Lewis and Tyson took place in 2002. Lewis knocked out Tyson in what turned out to be the second-to-last fight of his career. He went on to face Vitali Klitschko, winning by a sixth-round stoppage and retaining his WBC heavyweight crown before hanging up his gloves in early 2004.
Lewis finished his career with an impressive record of 44 fights and only 2 losses. Tyson, on the other hand, dominated the heavyweight division in the 1980s. He became the youngest ever world heavyweight champion in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round for the WBC title.
By the time he was barely 21, Tyson had unified the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles, defeating James Smith for the WBA and Tony Tucker for the IBF. Despite his early success, Tyson's career was marked by controversies both inside and outside the ring. He ended his career with 7 losses.
While many consider Tyson one of the best heavyweights in boxing history, Lewis's revelation sheds new light on their 2002 matchup. It suggests that Lewis's preparation and Steward's guidance played a crucial role in what Lewis now calls his easiest fight.
You can read the full interview with Lennox Lewis in The Ring Magazine, where he reflects on his career and this memorable fight.
In more recent news, there's been talk of a potential fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. It looks like 'Iron Mike' might step back into the ring once more, though against a very different kind of opponent than Lennox Lewis.
