Why did Lennox take step-aside money to avoid Tyson?

Lennox Lewis couldn't fight on Showtime. Mike Tyson couldn't fight on HBO. Roy Jones couldn't fight on Showtime. James Toney couldn't fight on Showtime. Nigel Benn couldn't fight on HBO. Gerald McClellan couldn't fight on HBO. The list went on and on.

The boxers signed long-term deals with HBO and Showtime back then. The networks decided who fought.

 

Didn't you just answer your own question ?

(And you need to phone a friend and ask what "duck" means)

 

Cause Tyson would cracked Lewis' chin worse thant Mcall did.

 

It seemed like a good deal at the time. He could of fought Tyson in September for one title or fight him a few months later for 2 titles and be $4 million richer, it was a no brainer.

But of course Tyson and King reneged on their promise to give Lewis his mandatory shot after Seldon and fought Holyfield instead. Lewis was naive to think King would honour their agreement.

 

No most people thought lewis would beat Tyson including Tysons management that's why they gave him the money. Tyson was fading and they wanted the big money losing to lewis would have scuppered that .PS I am unfortunately more than old enough to have followed this happening at the time and that's what happened.

 

most people thought of it because they were thinking of pre prison Tyson. the one who emerged from prison was nothing like the old one. he neve regained full fitness, nor the verve and style from his previous career.

 

The kids don't remember because they weren't there.

At the time, everyone in the world was afraid of Tyson. Everyone. That's why none of the big names stepped up, till after he lost it.

 

Post-prison Tyson was like a completely different fighter. He had none of his great head movement, his punches were more wild, he mostly threw single shots instead of his blistering combos, and he was more of a take one to give one type of fighter.

 

He wasn't naive.

Lewis knew Tyson wasn't going to fight him because Tyson fought on Showtime, and Showtime wasn't going to let Mike Tyson fight on HBO.

Just like Lennox Lewis knew HBO wasn't going to let him go over to Showtime to fight Mike Tyson.

Tyson had an exclusive deal with Showtime. Lewis had an exclusive deal with HBO.

Just because the WBC mandated the two fight had nothing to do with the boxers' contracts with the television networks.

Tyson paid the step-aside fee to Lewis so Don King could bill Tyson-Seldon as a unification. Once that fight was over, Tyson dumped the WBC belt.

It wasn't any more complicated than that.

Over the years, both camps threw offers back and forth. But the networks weren't letting either out of their deals.

It was only after Lewis lost to Rahman and admitted in court he only had one or two fights left in him ... and only after Tyson had been banned from boxing and came back with a drug problem (and started failing post-fight drug tests) ... that the networks decided to allow the two to meet ...

Because both HBO and Showtime were looking to cash out.

And, even then, there had to be compromises made that HBO would get one announcer and Showtime would get once announcer ... and all that ****.

It had nothing really to do with Tyson and Lewis themselves. If they'd both fought for HBO or they'd both fought for Showtime, and ONE network got all the money, they'd have faced multiple times.

 

this was exactly it the combos were gone. he was often reduced to swinging for a KO, something he virtually never did as champion.

A lot happened in prison clearly. To deny that years in prison cant change a man is utter stupidity.

 

He mostly swung for the fences.

One thing that gets overlooked is prime Tyson had a nice jab. You can see it in the Berbick fight.

 

I am pretty sure he was going through the motions of a "storming comeback" simpy because it was expected of him, he clearly didn't want to commit the time and effort to mounting a title campaign.

 

He pretty much stopped training before Douglas, with all the shedevil turmoil. After prison, he never had the same drive. All the people that made him Iron, were gone. He never could motivate himself and relied on others to push him.

 

Lewis also turned down a pretty nice payday to fight Tyson, as well. I believe it was in the neighborhood of 13.5 mil guaranteed.... which would had been a great payday for Lewis at that time. Especially considering the financial ramifications that a win over Tyson would have provided. Lewis took the step aside money, with the understanding that Tyson would fight Lewis after he beat Seldon. Which, imo... was a foolish expectation on the part of Lewis. Tyson could have lost... or Tyson could simply decide not to fight Lewis, which is what he did afterward. This was because Lewis wasn't a big name, big money guy at the time. Lewis should have taken that fight when he had the chance. Maybe he wouldn't have won though... which is why in hindsight... not taking the fight may have worked out best for Lewis in the long run.

Also, the "Networks" had zero do to with this.

 

HBO vs Showtime honestly had ZERO to do with any of this at that time. The Networks only became an issue to overcome when the fight was HUGE later down the road, and the fight happened anyway.