A retired heavyweight champion has revealed his victory over Mike Tyson was the easiest of his career.
‘Iron Mike’ is often credited with being one of the best heavyweights in the history of boxing, dominating the division for the majority of the 1980s.
He captured the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round of their bout, breaking the record of becoming the youngest ever world heavyweight champion.
Tyson would go on to become undisputed champion over the following couple of years when he defeated WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker, accomplishing this feat when he was barely 21-years-old.
Despite his success, the career of ‘Iron Mike’ wasn’t always as straightforward as it seemed, as he experienced a number of controversies both inside and outside of the ring, as well as tasting defeat on seven occasions.
One fighter in particular who had got the better of Tyson was Lennox Lewis, who knocked ‘Iron Mike’ out in the penultimate bout of his glittering career back in 2002.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Lewis revealed a conversation he’d had with his trainer Emanuel Steward, who explained why the Tyson would be the ‘easiest’ of his tenure.
“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.’
And then I realised why he said that. All my fights leading up to that was preparation for Tyson.”
‘The Lion’ fought just once more before drawing the curtain on his career when he defeated Ukrainian icon Vitali Klitschko in the sixth round to retain his WBC heavyweight crown.
Lewis officially retired in the early part of 2004, having lost on just two occasions in an incredibly successful 44-fight career.
