The Great 5 of Lennox Lewis: The Final Duel with Tyson
The last dance of the British boxer and Mike Tyson - the beauty of heavyweight legends
Lennox Lewis is considered one of the most skilled, if not the most skilled, heavyweight boxer of all time. The Briton, who also holds Canadian citizenship, is the last competitor to hold all the world titles in the division, or to put it another way, the last absolute champion. Lewis has more than impressive wins, totaling 41, 32 of them by knockout. With just two losses in his career, as well as one draw, the 1988 Seoul Olympic gold medalist is one of the fighters with the highest winning percentage. It's only logical that he's also offered us a number of spectacular encounters, so in a series of five articles, we'll be looking back at the matches that turned the West Ham Lion into one of the biggest stars.
We begin with a fight in which we could witness boxing of an astonishing level. In the end, however, the 36-year-old Lennox and the soon-to-be 36-year-old Mike Tyson entered the professional ring. Perhaps if the fight had been 10 years earlier, and not on the eighth of June 2002, then we could have seen some truly alien boxing. Still, the quality of the meeting is extremely high.
This is a fight that demonstrates that the 90s, which were among the strongest in the heavyweight division, have really forgotten their great heroes who are far from their best. In fact, the meeting was supposed to take place in April in Las Vegas. However, at the pre-match press conference, Tyson attacked his opponent and even bit him on the ankle. All this five years after the iconic case of biting off Evander Holyfield's ear. "Iron" once again shows his predatory instinct, even outside the ring. This led to the organizers refusing to hold the match in Las Vegas and it was moved to Memphis two months later.
Although at the end of their careers, Lewis and Tyson did their last dance, through which they managed to impress the entire sports world. The "Iron" has only played 19 rounds in the last five years because of the suspension after the incident with Holyfield, and it can't help but show. Especially due to the fact that his strongest years have passed almost a decade ago. Still, some pundits believe he could end Lewis' dominance of the division. The Briton must defend his status as the absolute champion who has united the titles of the World Boxing Council, the International Boxing Federation, the International Boxing Organization and Ring magazine.
The very first rounds of the mega fight show which of the two will reach the status of legend. Tyson looks the more aggressive, but Lennox manages to land the heavier, more solid punches in the first round. The events of the opening three minutes demonstrate the great desire of the "Iron" to be on the championship throne again, but his excessive aggression leads to purely tactical errors. It is clear that the winner will be the British competitor. The question is when.
The match ends successfully in the eighth round. That is the answer to the question. A match in which Lennox Lewis retains his titles and becomes the man who managed to tame Mike Tyson's last push to return to the top of the heavyweight division at almost 36 years old. It is a success of content over style, of reality over myth. The truth is that against the Briton is an incredible legend, an amazing competitor, but his energy is reduced to the mystical, he is a ghost of the best boxer of the 90s, which is "The Iron".
Lewis perfectly used his hour, his time, in which to show his dominance and greatness in the category. Mike remains disappointed because he even loses to an older competitor. However, the London-born boxer is like old wine - aged and transformed into the most refined competitor, for whom it is clear that this is his last big fight, but he must win it at all costs.
The fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson offers professional boxing fans a spectacle that looks unexpectedly good, in which it seems as if there is a clear winner after the first round, but the "Iron" does not give up, trying to get closer to the - the good times. The "Lion" from West Ham is consolidating his status as the best Briton of all time.
English 
Bulgarian