Lennox Lewis wasn’t just preparing to beat Mike Tyson in 2002. He made sure he never experienced the Evander Holyfield situation again.

By the time Lewis and Tyson finally stepped foot in the ring in Memphis, the undisputed heavyweight champion had already learned a painful lesson about leaving his fate in other people’s hands.

Three years earlier, Lewis appeared to out-do Holyfield over twelve rounds at Madison Square Garden. Most observers believe he did enough to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Instead, he walked away with a lopsided draw.

Referee Eugenia Williams somehow scored the fight for Holyfield, creating one of the most controversial scorecards in heavyweight history.

Lewis openly disputed the result.

Rainfall at Holyfield

The injustice was finally righted eight months later when Lewis defeated Holyfield in a rematch and finally secured the undisputed championship.

Even then, the scorecards still raised eyebrows.

Bill Graham scored the fight 117-111 for Lewis. Chuck Giampa had it 116-112. American judge Jerry Roth saw it much closer at 115-113.

This time, Lewis got the decision he deserved, but the contrast between the scorecards only reinforced concerns that had lingered since the first fight.

The Briton had already been burned once, and even when the verdict was finally reached in the rematch, one of the judges still saw the fight much closer than most observers.

Rightly or wrongly, these experiences left a mark. For Lewis and his team, the doubts never completely disappeared.

Opportunities were missed

When Tyson became his next opponent, Lewis entered the biggest fight of his career carrying those experiences with him.

Tyson remained boxing’s biggest attraction. The fight took place in America and millions of dollars were at stake.

Reports at the time indicated that the Lewis camp was pushing for the creation of a panel of judges that would not include U.S. officials.

After what happened in the first Holyfield fight, and after another American referee scored the rematch much closer than most thought, Lewis no longer wanted to leave anything to chance.

Whether viewed as wise caution or lingering distrust, the move showed how deeply the Holyfield story influenced Lewis and those around him.

Tyson never made it to the judges

Ultimately, Lewis never needed the scorecards he was worried about. The champion crushed Tyson via submission in the eighth round.

After years of wondering whether the referees would treat him fairly, Lewis removed them completely from the equation.

When the biggest fight of his career finally came, Lewis made sure Mike Tyson never came close to leaving the outcome in the judges’ hands.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Last night’s “UFC Freedom 250” event at the White House was attended by a host of boxing stars, including recently retired pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. After commenting on the main event, former MMA champion Conor McGregor disagreed with his analysis.

The headliner of the UFC project was Georgian lightweight world champion Ilia Topuria, who called for a boxing match with “Bud” in September, hoping to gain a lucrative partnership with the American after witnessing him defeat Canelo Alvarez.

The invitation was ridiculed by Crawford, who stated that he did not know who Topuria was.

Now, with Crawford at ringside, Topuria lost to Justin Gaetjhe by fourth-round stoppage, costing him both the UFC title and undefeated record.

Having witnessed the competition, Crawford took to social media make fun of Topuria, suggesting that their fight would be extremely one-sided.

Is this the guy who said he was going to knock me out and kick me and Shakur at the same time?😂😂😂

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) June 15, 2026

In response McGregor spoke on Topuria’s behalfdeclaring that Crawford is “scared of MMA fighting” and that he “isn’t man enough” to step into the Octagon.

“What the hell are you saying? You can fight, but you’re afraid of an MMA fight. To me, that’s pathetic. A kid was beaten in an MMA fight that you don’t have the courage to do.

“What the hell was with all these little boxers at this show and yet there were no MMA fighters?”

What the fuck are you saying? You can fight, but you are afraid of mma fighting.

To me it’s pathetic.

The kid was beaten in an mma fight that you don’t have the courage to do.

What the hell was with all these little boxers at this event and yet there were no MMA fighters?… https://t.co/cqmO1NHrs6

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2026

Crawford then fired a shotclaiming that he “doesn’t have to fight in a cage” and that the task of MMA fighters is to come and show themselves to the boxing world, not the other way around.

Shut up, drunk, and get ready to fight. His ass was screaming as you were talking to yourself. I don’t have to come and fight in a cage. That’s the joy of boxing, come to us, we don’t have to come to you.🤫

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) June 15, 2026

Crawford maintained that he would not move into MMA, stating that players “don’t earn enough” for him to consider a changedespite his wrestling past.

McGregor has been absent from the UFC since a broken leg loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. Although several return plans have been discussed since then, none have made it to fight night. His return is scheduled for July 12 against Max Holloway. He has had one professional boxing fight – a loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017 – and announces a return to the ring in the future.

Unified super welterweight champion Xander Zayas believes he has identified a security flaw in Jaron “Boots” Ennis ahead of their June 27 fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Recent York.

While many observers pointed to Ennis’ athleticism as a major pre-fight advantage, Zayas rejected that narrative and argued that his own skills compared favorably to those of the Philadelphia native.

“Athleticism. Well, I do the same thing as him. I utilize different angles. The only thing I don’t do like him is I fight on the left, but other than that, I utilize different angles. I’m way better than him in terms of movement. My jab is good. My combinations, my counters. I mean, there’s athleticism to it, you know? You can’t do it fluidly without being athletic,” Zayas told Brian Custer on his channel.

When asked what he thought was Ennis’ biggest weakness, Zayas didn’t hesitate.

“His feet. He has a flat foot and [he doesn’t like getting hit to the] body so much. We’ll see how it goes,” Zayas said

Ennis enters the contest as the oddsmaker’s favorite, even though Zayas holds the WBA and WBO titles at 154 pounds. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican champion has assumed the underdog role throughout the build-up, claiming that Ennis and others underestimate him.

In the fight that will take place on June 27, the two youngest boxing champions will face each other. This fight is considered by many to be the most critical in both fighters’ careers. It’s also a chance for Zayas to prove that his technical skills and in-ring IQ can counteract the physical advantage that many attribute to Ennis.

If Zayas is right about Ennis’ body compliance and foot placement issues, fans could see him test that theory early when the opening bell rings in Brooklyn.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most critical fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.

Click here to sign up for our FREE newsletter

Related boxing news:

Last updated: 15/06/2026 at 22:34