When Lennox Lewis And Mike Tyson Fought On Stage In The Craziest Live Face-Off Ever

Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson delivered one of the most heated and explosive press conferences in boxing history ahead of their blockbuster showdown in 2002.

The two boxing legends were scheduled to meet inside the squared circle on 8th June at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.

But ahead of their mega-showdown in June 2002, Lewis and Tyson met during a press conference in New York and all hell broke loose.

'Iron' Mike waited for the 'Lion' to emerge at the Hudson Theatre and stared in the direction where his fierce rival was expected to appear.

And only moments after Lewis appeared, Tyson immediately stormed over to the former undisputed champ and appeared to show an early sign of what fans could expect.

One of Lewis' entourage blocked the 'Baddest Man on the Planet' from grabbing his rival, only for Tyson to throw a left hook at the Brit's bodyguard.

An all-out brawl would ensure between both fighters' entourages as punches were thrown while others were pushed and hurled around on stage.

Then-WBC president Jose Sulaiman alleged that he had been knocked out in the scuffle after his head hit the table.

Sulaiman claimed that Tyson had threatened to kill him after he recovered from his knockdown.

According to reports, the former WBC president also filed a whopping $56m lawsuit against Lewis and Tyson over injuries he sustained in the brawl.

Tyson was also forced to pay Lewis $335,000 after admitting that he bit the boxing legend's leg.

The New York press conference would continue to escalate when Tyson came to verbal blows with somebody in the crowd.

The boxing legend grabbed his crotch and yelled expletives at the person in the crowd before Tyson delivered his infamous tirade to freelance reporter Mark Malinowski.

Malinowski suggested that Tyson needed to be restrained in a straitjacket, which prompted a brutal foul-mouthed tirade from 'Iron Mike.'

Tyson shockingly called the reporter a "punk white boy" and a "f****t" several times before telling him he would "f**k you 'til you love me."

Lewis would claim the ultimate bragging rights on 8th June 2002 as he KO'd Tyson in the eighth round and successfully defended his unified championship crown.

Featured Image Credit: Boxing Kingdom/Twitter

Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, Lennox Lewis, Iron Mike, Lion

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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