Mike Tyson fought just once in 2001, on October 13, 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark against Brian Nielsen. Tyson dropped the pudgy Nielsen in the third round, and pounded on him until he refused to answer the bell for the seventh. It was one less obstacle that separated Tyson from facing Lennox Lewis for the championship, with much of the public believing he would win when they fought. I however, was not one of those people.
Tyson originally wanted to face Ray Mercer instead on January of 2002 as a tune-up bout, but Lewis sued him to stop that fight from happening. A few days later, Tyson cancelled the Mercer fight, and an April 6 date in Vegas was agreed upon between both men.
Things changed on January 22, 2002 however, when a press conference announcing their fight was held in New York. As soon as Lennox Lewis appeared on stage, an out of control Tyson charged him and tried to assault him. The two wound up on the floor, with Tyson biting Lewis on the thigh. After the brawl, Tyson went into a profanity laced tirade aimed at a journalist, making it obvious the guy was certifiably nuts. Vegas pulled their date off the table after Tyson’s latest pathetic display, and only Memphis, Tennessee agreed to host the fight.
June 8, 2002 was the new date, and the bout would be held at the Pyramid in Memphis. Both HBO and Showtime agreed to broadcast it as a joint effort, and it was billed as “Lewis vs. Tyson Is On.” Both fighters trained in Tunica, Mississippi, 25 miles south of Memphis, in two different Casinos in the resort town. Tyson was lude and profane with reporters during training camp, only proving how far gone he was mentally. When fight time came around, I couldn’t wait to see Lennox lay him out on his back.
I was in Atlantic City the week before to the watch Evander Holyfield face Hasim Rahman at the Convention Center. During the fight, the guy sitting next to me asked me what I thought would happen in the Lewis-Tyson bout. I told him loud and quickly “Tyson is going out on his back!” He blurted back, “Why don’t you say how you really feel!”, as if annoyed with my answer. A lot of Tyson fans wanted to believe their hero was going to win, but I knew he had as much chance as I did of beating Lewis.
My brother came over the watch the pay-per-view card that Saturday night, and it was obvious as soon as the thing started, that Tyson had no chance. He had a decent opening round, but lost every round after. He also had a lot of help from referee Eddie Cotton, who appeared to be in the bag for Tyson. Every single time Lennox did anything, Cotton interfered, even causing Larry Merchant to yell out at one point “What is Eddie Cotton doing!?” When Lennox knocked Tyson out on his back late in the eighth round, it became one of my all-time favorite moments as a boxing fan. “Iron Mike” was done for good, and it left no question as to who the best heavyweight of the era was. Lennox Lewis.
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