When asked who their hardest opponents were, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis both chose the same boxing icon.
Tyson and Lewis are two of history’s most prominent fighters, and they had a notorious rivalry.
The pair faced off for the final time in a blockbuster mega-fight in 2002 at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee, with the ‘Lion’ becoming notorious.
Lewis knocked down ‘Iron Mike’ in the eighth round with a devastating right hook, one of five knockouts he suffered in his career.
When asked who their toughest career opponent was, neither boxer chose the other.
Both chose Evander Holyfield, another elite boxer from the era.
Before they battled, both heavyweight legends crossed paths with Holyfield in the 1990s.
Tyson and Holyfield fought in consecutive battles in 1996 and 1997, with the latter ending in a DQ after Tyson bit his opponent’s ear.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, the ‘Baddest Man in the Planet’ described why Holyfield was his toughest opponent.
“Great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour,” ‘Iron Mike’ stated.
Lewis tied with Holyfield at Madison Square Garden in March 1999, but won the rematch by unanimous decision.
“People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them [Holyfield] was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was [Ray] Mercer, but when you really dive into why that is, it actually makes a lot of sense,” he went on to say.
“Holyfield, like me, has a strong amateur background that has helped him well in his professional career.
“He started boxing when he was eight years old and won an Olympic bronze medal in 1984. Prior to moving up to the heavyweight division, he dominated the cruiserweight division as the unchallenged champion, and probably the finest ever, in that weight class.
