Retired heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis believes one decision victory during his career should have been given to his opponent.
The British-Canadian great remains one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, reigning as the world heavyweight champion on three separate occasions during his incredible career.
He picked up a number of legacy defining victories throughout his tenure, defeating the likes of Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko among many others. Lewis’s impact on the sport stretches far and wide, with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather even suggesting that Lewis would have defeated Muhammad Ali.
His 1999 victory over ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield, arguably the best of his entire career, saw Lewis finally become the undisputed world heavyweight champion, defeating the American legend via unanimous decision to unify the WBC, WBA and IBF titles.
Despite his incredible success, there was one fighter in particular who claims he was told by ‘The Lion’ himself that he should have won when they faced each other.
Speaking to Slater’s Boxing, former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer revealed details of a conversation he had with Lewis just minutes after their bout back in May 1996.
“Yeah, I won that fight, man. He admitted it to me. He knows – a fighter knows. I won that fight. He said to me, he said, ‘I know you won.’ I told him, ‘where’s my half of your cheque!’ He said okay. Every time I see him, I tell him I’m still wishing! They were setting him up to fight [Mike] Tyson. So that’s what happened, that’s why they gave him the victory.”
Mercer captured the WBO crown back in 1991 when he defeated Francesco Damiani via ninth round stoppage. He made one successful defence of his title just ten months later when he beat the late-great Tommy Morrison in Atlantic City.
He finally drew the curtain on his career in 2008, shortly after he won the 44th and final bout of his career against Richel Hersisia in Sweden.
