1996-Tyson vs Lewis - What would have happened?

Lennox Lewis turned down a 13.5 million dollar guarantee to fight Tyson in 1996. He chose instead to take 4 million in step aside money to allow Tyson to go after the WBA Champ.

Had Lewis not declined to fight Tyson in 1996, how do you see that fight playing out?

Also, how do you see it changing the landscape of the 90's? Had Lewis not sat in the shadows and taken that fight with Tyson... if he won, he would have got the Holyfield fight directly afterwards and the entire division would have ran through him if he won that as well. Do you think that he beats either of those guys? If he lost to them would it have changed his late title run which took place after the stars of the 90's died out?

 

Do you guys feel that loss would have halted Lewis' heavyweight run? Or do you still feel that he could have taken over as the transitional heavyweight Champ between the 90's and the new era as he did?

 

Tyson had just knocked out the WBC Champ Bruno (who had won the title by beating McCall after McCall beat Lewis), and after Lewis declined the fight, Tyson knocked out the WBA Champ Seldon in his next fight... then went on to lose to Holyfield.

 

I don't recall saying that he had any?:huh That wasn't really the topic here. I just wonder why Lewis didn't take that chance to put himself as the focal point of the division?:think Turning down a guarantee of 13.5 mill, and all of the huge fights that could have came afterwards. I wonder why he chose to linger into the shadows until the other top guys weren't at the top of their game anymore? We could have seen much better fights in the 90's had the top guys all fought each other the way that Holyfield was. I would have loved to see Lewis in the ring with even a 1996 version of Tyson, 1996 version of Holyfield, or the 90's Moorer, Bowe, Foreman... but we never got to see those fights. Had Lewis yanked taken his opportunity when it presented itself, those questions would have been answered.

 

Tyson paid Lewis step aside cash, because Lewis declined the 13.5 mill guarantee. There was even a court order stopping Tyson from fighting ANYONE other than Lewis, unless Lewis agreed otherwise. Lewis NEVER had to accept the step-aside cash, and could have taken the fight. Don King would not be allowed having ANY options because Lewis was a mandatory. In other words... Lewis was in line to put himself at the top of the division with no strings attached, why didn't he?