Lennox Lewis has stated he’d come out of retirement to fight Mike Tyson – but only for £100 million.
Lewis, the then-defending WBC, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion, defeated Tyson in 2002, when he knocked him out after eight rounds during their world title fight in Memphis, Tennessee.
The heavyweight boxer retired just two years later, in 2004, but has now claimed he’d be willing to come out of retirement for a rematch with Tyson.
While appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Lewis claimed he’d fight Tyson again – 17 years after the world-renowned fight – but only for the huge payout.
Rogan asked whether he’d ever had thoughts about getting into the ring one more time.
To this, Lewis responded:
Well you know, I told people I’d take my pyjamas off for £100m. So if you’re serious, come with it baby. Show me the paper.
Although no names had been mentioned at this time, Lewis was then asked who the fight would be against – with Anthony Joshua being the first suggestion, whom Lewis has notably been a vocal critic of in recent years.
Lewis was quick to say no, before he confidently said ‘Tyson’; at this, the host noted how the Tyson Lewis fought in 2002 was nowhere near the prime ‘Iron Mike’ who reigned in the 90’s.
The three-time world heavyweight champion agreed, referencing Tyson’s time in jail during 1999, saying it meant Lewis was the sharper fighter as he’d had more time to train.
Lewis explained:
Yeah, I looked at Tyson’s history you know, he’s coming from the same history that I’m coming from and he spent some time in incarceration. While he was in incarceration, I’m still out there fighting and training hard.
He didn’t have that in there, so when he came out it’s like – he’s training again, he’s doing what he knows, not what he loves, but what he knows.
That’s what’s gonna make him some money, that’s gonna put food on his table so… I look at old time fighters and say, ‘what made them stay in boxing so long?’
Lewis continued:
That’s the only thing they knew. They’re not going to be no singer or dancer or whatever, they only know boxing and this is where they get their money from, so that’s what forces them back into the ring.
I don’t know about you, but I’d be keen to see how the two would hold up considering their last fights were more than a decade ago.
Who would you put your money on?
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).