All language subtitles for Lennox.Lewis.the.Untold.Story.2020.WEBRip.x264-ION10

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SONG: Them crazy- them crazy

The man who's thinking and
worrying about getting hit

is not gonna have a good
sense of anticipation.

He will in fact get hit.

Gotta be clever, gotta be
smart, and not get hit.

And when you're able to
do this, you're a fighter.

I'm still the fastest, the
most scientific, the greatest

fighter of all time!

ANNOUNCER: Muhammad Ali
has won by a knockout.

GEORGE FOREMAN: 45 is
not a death sentence.

We can do anything we wanna do.

ANNOUNCER: It
happened, it happened!

Lennox Lewis,
I'm coming for you.

Lennox the conqueror?

No, I'm Alexander.

He's no Alexander.

I'm the best ever.

I'm just ferocious.

I want your heart.

I wanna eat his children.

Tell Mike Tyson either
put up or shut up.

This is the heart of
the sweet science.

It's not no street fighting.

He knows what he can eat.

Are we ever going to see,
given all the obstacles, Tyson

and Lewis in the ring together?

Mike Tyson has shown he just
doesn't want to fight yet.

I wouldn't be afraid to
say that Lewis is the best

fighter on the scene now.

Period.

I just come to conquer.

NARRATOR: The
heavyweight champion

of the world, the most
coveted title in all sports,

held by George Foreman, the
strongest, Joe Lewis, the most

iconic, Rocky Marciano,
the most unbeatable, Mike

Tyson, the baddest man on
the planet, Muhammad Ali,

the greatest.

Who is this man, this
heavyweight champion

of the world?

SONG: We gonna chase those
crazy baldheads out of town.

Chase those crazy
baldheads out of our town.

I and I build a cabin.

I and I plant the corn.

Didn't my people before
me slave for this country.

When music plays,
I feel no pain.

Muhammad Ali said the sweet
science is hit and not get hit.

Lennox is a very measured
and calculating man.

He's like an onion that
you keep peeling back,

and you think, oh, I've got it.

And then, no.

You realize, no, it
goes even further.

His personality is
really like a lion.

He's this big guy.

He's ferocious-looking at
times when he wants to be,

but he's also very gentle.

As the world
heavyweight champion,

you are seen as the most
dangerous man on the planet.

That's what I always
admired about Lennox.

He never showed his
anger in public.

[CHEERING]

There was something
about him that made

him unique to other sportsmen.

[SCATTING]

I just fancy Tyson
for some reason.

A smart man will beat
a strong man any day.

And Lennox Lewis
is a smart fighter.

Lennox Lewis
after three rounds.

Tyson, round four.

We're gonna have
Lewis in five rounds.

And Lewis is gonna get it.

You think Lewis is gonna--

He's gonna get it.

Everybody that I boxed
had a math problem.

And the math problem was
down for me to solve.

Folks really seem
to pay more attention

to where he's from than what
he's actually accomplished.

NARRATOR: Being the undisputed
unified heavyweight champ

meant that Lennox had
the IBF belt, IBO belt,

and the most coveted,
the WBC belt,

claimed before by greats like
Muhammad Ali and Joe Lewis.

How did he make it to
the doorstep of history,

to one of the biggest
heavyweight fights of all time?

You have to take a look at
his story from the beginning.

Lennox was born in
the impoverished East

End of London.

He was raised by
his mother, Violet,

who had come to England from
Jamaica to work as a nurse

in search of a better life.

See, I didn't grow up with
my brothers and sisters.

My mother have 12 of us, so I
grow up with another family.

I don't blame her, because
she couldn't manage us.

12 kids, no husband, you know?

NARRATOR: Lennox's father
had started a new family

and was completely
absent from his life.

I met my dad one day.

There was a car outside,
nice-looking car.

And a guy in the car,
and he said, come here.

And I was like looking
at him, like who are you?

He said, I'm your father.

I said, oh.

He said that he wanted
to be in my life,

But his wife was
fighting against me,

so I was like that
kid in the middle.

I just walked back in
the house, and my mom

said, well, who's that?

And I said, that's my dad.

Then she went out into the
road, and she was arguing bad,

like she was cussing him.

And I was like,
you know, confused.

And when she came back
in, she was upset.

So we really never
talked about it.

And then that was the only time
I kind of remember, you know,

my dad.

NARRATOR: When Lennox
was seven, his mother

found a better
paying job in Canada

and had to leave him
behind in London.

She was basically
searching for a new horizon,

a different way of life.

You know, she said she
had a friend in Canada.

She went to visit.

And she was over
there for a while,

and she left me with this
lady named Miss Baker.

For some reason, Miss
Baker was real mean to me.

While I was in bed at
night, she would come over.

I would wake up, look up
my eyes, and I see her,

and her eyes and would
be looking at me.

And it was like,
that would scare me.

And I remember one time I
was going into the bath,

and then she was coming in there
with a belt to try and beat me.

And I remember jumping out
the bath and running past her,

and running outside the house,
and I was outside the house,

and I was nude
outside the house.

And she was going, "oh, come in.

Come on, come on, come inside.

I'm gonna put the belt down."

"No, I ain't coming back in.

I want people to come
and see you and make

you embarrassed about that."

And she was.

She was very
embarrassed about it.

Police came and said,
well, what's going on?

And then I remember Miss Baker
being upset, saying, "boy, I

don't know why your mother don't
call for you and send for you

and get you out of my house."

And you know, they
took me away from her

and put me in this home.

You know, I basically
felt like I was abandoned.

I was out there by myself.

NARRATOR: He ended up passing
through a number of boarding

schools and getting
kicked out for fighting

until he finally ended up in
a school for troubled youth.

Lennox most definitely
would have been part of a gang

and been mixed up in all sorts
of skulduggery at that time.

And it was actually
much better for him

that he had left
England and went

to Canada to stay with our mum.

When my mother sent for
me and I took that plane,

we were going through the
airport, and all I could hear

was my mum's voice.

I didn't hear it for years,
and I heard her voice.

She was like, "there's
my son, there's my son!"

And it was loud, and it was
like music to my ears, you know.

At first, he was
like a bit of a rebel.

PRODUCER: Was he?

Yeah, he used
to get in fights,

and the teacher used
to phone me at work,

and then I'd have to leave
work and come home and get him.

And sometimes I'd meet
him on the way coming

home with his lunch pail.

So--

When he first
came to Kitchener,

it was basically
just him and his mom.

Because he was the
new guy on the block,

they tried to pick on
him a little bit, right?

Because he wasn't
always that big.

You know?

NARRATOR: By bringing
Lennox to Canada,

Violet had completely changed
the course of his life.

He easily could have become
a victim of police brutality

on the streets of London.

Racial tensions grew
between the cops

and the black immigrant
community in the '70s and '80s,

resulting in violent clashes
like the Brixton riots.

But in Canada, when
Lennox got into trouble

with law enforcement,
they did something

completely unexpected.

Why don't you go down to the
police club and try out boxing?

Hook McComb, he was a staff
sergeant for the Waterloo

Regional Police.

My trainer said,
go, I want you

to move around with this kid.

Bobby Prue was smaller
than me, lighter than me,

and I was bigger than
him and more lankier.

He was dancing
circles around me.

I was swinging away,
trying to hit him,

and I couldn't hit him.

And he hit me in my nose.

I'm like, ah, my eyes
started watering.

The only boxing I knew was
like Muhammad Ali, because we

used to watch him on TV.

So I pretended I was
Muhammad Ali moving around.

And it was like a game to me.

It was like a game of tag.

That's when I realized
that I enjoyed boxing.

I loved it.

Hook McComb taught me
and Lennox for a long time.

As the years went on and
Arnie came into the picture.

Lennox came down with
a couple of his friends

to our boxing gym in Kitchener.

He stood out immediately as a
little bigger than the others,

and showed an interest.

And the biggest thing I noticed,
and the most important thing I

noticed, he listened.

He would look at you and hang
on to every word that you said.

So much credit of how Lennox
developed should go to Arnie.

He was a rock.

He was his coach, but he was
also a father figure to him.

They had a relationship that
extended way past boxing.

Arnie was always
there for Lennox.

And kind of turned
into a dad figure.

We went camping together.

We went fishing together.

Lennox and I met when we
were 11, almost 12 years old.

We both played inner city
football here in Kitchener.

Once we played, that's how
we got to know each other.

As we both grew up, 12,
13, through those years

we became friends.

I knew him from football.

Some of my friends knew
him from basketball.

Other friends knew
him from boxing.

The friendship developed from
there until we ended up here

at Cameron Heights
as schoolmates

and teammates on the
same football team at 16.

You got that man.

Come on, mate.

Let's go.

Nah, I can't even
believe you're doing that.

We gotta go.

No way.

They're waiting on us.

No, no.

That's no excuse.

That's his favorite trick.

Every time he's
losing, he walks away.

"We've got some more
important to do."

To win the championship,
I mean, having Lennox

made me look like a genius.

It was basically pitch
the ball athletics,

and have Courtney
Shand lead block.

I remember we played in
the finals, the city finals.

We lost to Eastwood
Collegiate 20 to 1.

We're all sitting on the bus,
coming home from the stadium.

Everyone's crying, and
I'm sitting beside him,

and I had my head down.

I was crying.

I look up, and he's just
looking around on the bus.

And I'm like, hey, how
come you're not sad?

And he said, "because I've
got bigger things to come."

He worked his way
up through the ranks.

Started getting a little
better and going to tournaments

in Sully's in Toronto.

And he kept going.

And next thing you know it, he's
a national champion, and then

the Olympics.

NARRATOR: At Olympic
training camp,

Lennox would meet another
soon to be world champion.

Ladies and gentlemen, the
heavyweight championship

of the 1981 National
Junior Olympic

Boxing Championships
from Catskill, New York,

15-year-old Mike Tyson.

Bombs away, Jimmy.

Let's watch just carefully.

Because Tyson in the
blue is a bomber.

He's trained by no
other than Cus D'Amato.

Oh, and there it's all over.

First time I ever met Lennox
Lewis was in the Catskills.

He was a real nice guy,
really talked proper.

He was really
enthusiastic about boxing.

The first day he and
Mike sparred, Mike almost

took his head off.

The next day they watched
some footage of Joe Frazier

and Muhammad Ali, the
Thriller in Manila.

Arnie told him, this is
how you have to box Mike.

So he went out, and
he did that, and he

beat up on Mike that day.

Cus D'Amato stopped the fight
and told them both that day

you both are ordained to
become world champions.

You both will
dominate the sport.

Cus got pretty friendly with
my mother before she died.

She didn't think I was gonna do
so good in this boxing thing.

She thought it
was all like hype.

I wanted to be successful.

That would be something my
mother would have wanted.

Cus, he adopted me, so he's
my father figure, yeah.

That's all I knew
as a father figure.

NARRATOR: Both Tyson and
Lewis had their eyes set

on winning the '84 Olympics.

Tyson's hopes were diminished
in the Olympic qualifying match,

while Lewis made
the Canadian team

but eventually ended up
losing in the quarterfinals.

Well, it was a real
bummer, you know?

We both hung out after he lost
his match to Tyrell Biggs,

and then decided to turn pro.

NARRATOR: Over the
next few years,

Tyson's professional
career took off.

He became the youngest
heavyweight champ in history.

All the while, Lennox was
fighting the amateur circuit

with the desire
to hone his craft

and get back to the Olympics.

He was training in
Kitchener with a very good

friend of mine, Harvey Dean.

His natural ability
to punch was there.

Now we had to work on
the power of punching.

I started training with Lennox
at the training center Arnie.

Arnie would come, and
Adrian would come.

And you know, he was
a big talented kid,

a world junior champion.

I'm nervous as usual.

You know, I'm fighting the guy.

I'm a middleweight, and he's
like a heavyweight or something

and shit.

Lennox and Egerton, they
were sparring together.

They were training
together like brothers.

We got in the ring, we
started-- we rumbled, man.

I came at him with all I--

I was bringing the fire.

Egerton was good
for Lennox in that

because of his work ethics and
his tenacity, it pushed Lennox.

You've got a guy now, you're
fighting in the amateurs now.

You're fighting
at a higher level.

NARRATOR: In 1988, Lennox would
travel to Seoul, South Korea

to compete once again and
go for the Olympic gold

medal for Canada.

He had gone to the
opening ceremony in Seoul

and left the Canadian delegation
and walked across the field

to the American
delegation, walked up

to some American
athletes and said,

"which one's Riddick Bowe?

Show me Riddick Bowe."

And they had pointed him to
Bowe, and he walked up to Bowe

and said, "are you Riddick Bowe?

I'm going to knock you out."

The first round when he
went out there, I was pissed,

because he wasn't doing nothing.

I was like, what the hell?

Me and Adrian was jumping up at
the side of the ring, saying,

what the hell are you doing?

Bowe was beating
him to the punch.

He had a little
bit more urgency.

This has the
makings to be the most

interesting fight
of the tournament

or the bomb of the tournament.

I think Lennox got hurt
with that uppercut right

hand there a moment ago.

It seemed to stun
him momentarily.

Adrian was yelling.

I was yelling.

Right, because we knew.

We knew Lennox had the
ability to beat anybody

if he puts his mind to fight.

Came in the corner.

I said, Lennox, wake up, man.

He went there, first punch--

knockout.

COMMENTATOR: Canada's first
gold medal in 56 years.

I don't think I have
ever been that proud.

The feeling is
just indescribable.

My dream was to have
an Olympic champion.

Most of the guys within
the past several decades

who have won the Olympic
heavyweight gold medal

have gone on to become
the heavyweight champion

of the world.

And so Lennox had the pedigree.

The only question was,
would he fulfill it?

Winning the Olympic gold
medal is really a gold ticket

into the professionals.

So it puts you at
a high standard.

And the standard is, OK,
all the top promoters

are looking at you.

So at this time,
there was Don King.

He was really focusing on
Mike Tyson at the time.

There was the Duvas.

There was Micky Duff in England.

A lot of different
promoters wanted to sign me.

We actually visited
a couple of them.

And I was like, wow,
everybody sounds so good.

Who do I pick?

And Arnie said, well,
follow your heart.

He said, well, you know,
we're looking at all the offers.

I said, well, it's funny
you should say that.

We've got a guy in England.

Why don't you come
over to England

and see what we
can do over there?

He flew into Heathrow Airport,
and I met him at the airport

that morning.

And when he put his hand out,
it was just like a shovel

coming out to meet me.

And I was like, god,
he's bloody big.

Then I thought, you are a
perfect specimen of a fighter.

You know, I decided to go back
to England because I virtually

could write my own contract.

NARRATOR: Lennox triumphantly
returned home to his birthplace

to start his professional
career with the most

brazen promoter
in Britain, a man

who was hiding a deep secret.

From day one, we
started with this dream

that we were Britain's first
world heavyweight champion,

or Lennox wants to be
the undisputed world

heavyweight champion.

And it's my job to
do my best to get

that fight made for Lennox Lewis
and to guide him in that path.

Lennox's team was quite unique.

It started off first,
it was John Davenport.

John Davenport then
brought in Harold

knight, who was a fighter
that John had trained.

When I came up to
the training camp,

Lennox actually was sleeping
in one of the cottages.

There was two bedrooms
in one cottage,

and I was in the other bedroom.

So I walked in
the wrong bedroom,

and soon as I walked in, I
see his big old giant stand up

and everything.

And that was my first
introduction to Lennox Lewis.

His mum Violet was the captain
of the whole training team.

She held the whole
team together.

I start going with
them to the camp,

cause I have to do his
cooking and look after him.

Because he has to eat property.

Well, Mom, she was
the boss of the camp,

to be honest with you.

Mom was definitely the
boss of the camp, not

only with her cooking, but
she was, how can I say,

fair but firm.

She didn't take no
mess from anyone.

NARRATOR: Lennox
quickly won his first 13

pro fights and his
first championship,

the European Title.

Lennox and I had disagreements
on where he should come from.

I was adamant he should be
British, because that was

the market we was aiming at.

Lennox sort of went to Canada,
and he had that accent,

and that might be
a little bit why he

wasn't taken really seriously.

Lennox obviously had Canadian
roots, Jamaican roots,

and British roots.

So he wanted to be seen
as a man of the world.

I mean, I've done
some stupid things.

I had Lennox dressed in a
top hat and tails with a cane

and photographs done with him.

I took him to English
football clubs.

He went along with it,
but some of it grudgingly.

I used to get a lot of
shtick from a lot of my friends

and a lot of Americans
when I came back home

after one of Lennox's
fights, because they

didn't accept Lennox.

There was always
early on this perception

that the British
accent made him more

civilized than the
other characters

with whom he would
deal in the division,

and he must have a more genteel
background than guys who

had come off of rough streets.

And of course that was a myth.

NARRATOR: Lennox no doubt grew
up during hard times in London,

but he was fortunate that the
police in Kitchener, Ontario

treated him like any
other wayward kid

with potential and not a
threat because of where he was

born or the color of his skin.

At the beginning of the '90s,
he kept his sights on the prize,

building a team that would help
him rise up through the ranks

of heavyweight contenders.

At that time I went to
school in London, Ontario.

I wanted to be a fitness
trainer for pro athletes.

End of 1990, he came to me and
said, "look, I need your help.

I need your help.

I'm gonna fight the number
three fighter in the world.

I know I can beat
him if you help me,

but I need to be stronger."

So we agreed to
train for one fight.

I told him I'd help
him for one fight.

SONG: I and I build a cabin.

I and I plant the corn.

Chase those crazy
baldheads out of our town.

NARRATOR: Lennox surrounded
himself with childhood friends,

including Egerton Marcus.

Lennox, he became--

that's my brother.

That's my brother.

Because when he's in a fight,
it's like I'm in a fight.

NARRATOR: These familiar
faces, like his old coach

Adrian Teodorescu and Courtney
Shand always had Lennox's back,

but they also kept him grounded.

He always said to me, "you
always have to be honest.

You always have to
tell me how things are.

Never tell me it's raining
when it's sunny, because I'm

going to believe you."

And one day what he did
to show me, that day he

told me that we were driving,
he closes his eyes and he says--

Listen, tell me
which way to turn.

He's driving, and I'm
like, "Lennox, Lennox!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?"

And He's like, "just
tell me what to do,

tell me what to do."

And he had his eyes shuts tight.

I'm looking at him
like, are you crazy?

And he goes, "that's the
level of trust I need to have.

That's what I'm giving to
you, and please hold on to it

dearly."

Ladies and gentlemen, good
evening and welcome to the Omni

Arena here in one of America's
greatest sports cities,

Atlanta, Georgia.

Lennox Lewis, he is
Canadian and English,

fighting out of England.

Biggs, of course,
four years ago,

was the star heavyweight
in the Duvas' main event

stable when he fought
against Mike Tyson in 1987

in Atlantic City.

The question I have is
whether being an amateur

could hurt him in the way
it might have hurt Biggs.

NARRATOR: In November of
1991, Lennox got the chance

to write what went wrong in
the '84 Olympics, a rematch

with the man that beat
him, Tyrell Biggs.

Lewis comes out firing
and lands a right hand.

Lennox Lewis looks like much
the stronger guy physically.

Looks like he can handle
Tyrell on the inside.

Very little head
movement for Lewis.

Could be a problem
later on, particularly

for a guy who's 6'5.

And down goes Biggs from
the solid right cross.

That's an impressive
victory for Lennox Lewis.

And I'll go in the ring and find
out where he's going from here.

Lennox Lewis is on a
mission, and Tyrell Biggs

was a stepping stone.

And all I need is a
couple more fights,

and then I'll be in there
against the champion.

All right, Larry, so Lennox
Lewis takes another step

toward big time
heavyweight contention,

and we're gonna talk
to one of the big time

heavyweight contenders
of all time right now.

George, if you can hear me, what
did you think of Lennox Lewis?

I was more than impressed.

He's a great boxer and a
good right hand puncher.

I'll tell you this, I don't
want any parts of him.

NARRATOR: This was a fighter
that the world was not used to.

Articulate, to
himself, contemplative,

not getting into
trouble with the law,

a chess player, a thinker.

And you do some meditation.

Can you tell us about that?

Yeah, I think
you've got to focus

on what you have to accomplish.

And you know, I
create my own facade,

so it's very important for me to
have an even ground around me.

NARRATOR: This towering
dominant contender

for the world
heavyweight championship

was mysteriously different.

To take his career
to the next level,

he decided to replace
John Davenport

with a more seasoned trainer.

It was like a
complete 180 in terms

of who he chose as
a coach, because he

went to every Pepe Correa.

Pepe was flashy.

He liked movement.

He wanted Lennox not to just
stand in the middle of the ring

and use his pure size.

This guy, when
you talk to him,

he gets right into your face,
and he listens everything.

He hangs on every word that you
say, and he makes it easier.

He makes my job very, very easy.

With Pepe coming on was the
evolution of Lennox as a boxer.

Pure boxer, not
just someone that

could throw punches and
get you because he was big,

but move, be fluid.

We had I think three or
four fights with Pepe,

and they kept getting better.

The big one was when we fought
our Donovan Razor Ruddock.

I think the only fight I was
really worried about for Lennox

was the Razor Ruddock fight,
because I knew if we'd lost,

that was the end of the
whole road and the ride.

But it was Lennox who calmed
my nerves for that fight.

In my memory, the first of his
fights that we covered on HBO

was actually Halloween
night 1992 in Earls Court

in London versus Razor Ruddock.

The battle between Razor
Ruddock and Lennox Lewis

for the right to fight the
winner of Holyfield-Bowe

for the Heavyweight
Championship,

an exciting night in London.

I was impressed that
he was so relaxed.

Lennox Lewis can probably be
one of the greatest fighters

to ever come out
of this country.

And I remember walking away
from the meeting thinking,

wow, what a very cool,
self-possessed character he is.

I wonder if he knows
something that I don't know.

Not since the days of Bob
Fitzsimmons and the last decade

of the 19th century has
an English-born fighter

held the heavyweight crown.

Lewis initiates
the action so far.

He says his plan is
to stick the jab,

stay relaxed, move away from the
left hook, and outbox Ruddock.

Right hand by Lewis.

Ruddock goes down!

A smashing right cross
with perfect accuracy

behind the jab.

You cannot do it better.

And the wobbling Razor Ruddock--

NARRATOR: Many were assuming
that Razor's experience

and ability to take
a punch would be too

much for Lennox, who
struck many as just

a pretty boy from England.

Lewis herding Ruddock
with the left hook.

Ruddock in serious trouble as
Lewis pounds him to the canvas.

Second knockdown of the fight,
and already Lennox Lewis

has equalled Mike
Tyson's knockout output

against Razor Ruddock in both
of the two Tyson-Ruddock fights.

Lennox Lewis is in
total command now.

Can he finish?

Right hand to the body.

Ruddock in trouble.

Second knockdown of round 2.

We have a great new heavyweight
on the boxing scene.

Lennox Lewis may turn out
to be not only the greatest

heavyweight in British
history but the greatest

fighter in European history.

I agree, I agree!

NARRATOR: By 1992, Ring Magazine
had Lennox Lewis all the way up

from 9 in 1991 to number
two, behind Riddick Bowe,

the guy he had already beat.

Tyson was gone.

And in his place, Evander
Holyfield and Lennox Lewis's

old Olympic rival,
Riddick big daddy Bowe,

began a four year battle for the
top spot in heavyweight boxing.

Yo, bring it on, man.

Yeah, I'm gonna bring it.

He's known for
sucker punching people,

because I've seen
him do it before.

So I made sure I had my
hands close to my face,

ready to block anything
he was coming with.

And I said the
same thing to him.

"I'm gonna knock you out."

Knock me out.

Knock me out.

NARRATOR: During Bowe's second
title run with all three belts,

he gave up the most coveted
WBC title, the same title

Muhammad Ali fought for.

He mockingly dropped
it in a trash

while pressed to defend
it against Lennox.

Some would say maybe he
didn't want to face Lennox.

Some would say
maybe he was afraid

that Lennox would
kick his ass, just

like he did in the Olympics.

When Riddick Bowe dumped
the belt in the garbage,

Lennox definitely
was pissed off.

Disrespect.

That's another
reason why I wanted

to beat his ass in the ring.

NARRATOR: Because of his
recent victory over Ruddock,

Lennox was awarded
the WBC title,

becoming the first British
champion in over 100 years.

Lennox had the
belt, but he didn't

really win it in the ring.

So in his next fight Lennox
had something to prove.

In the very first fight,
Lennox was the champion

because the belt
was handed to him,

and the opponent was Tony
Tucker, Don King's opponent.

He had this thing
about Don King.

NARRATOR: Don King was
boxing's longest running pimp,

having gone from a
neighborhood numbers

running bookie to somehow
convincing Muhammad Ali to box

in a charity exhibition to
then promoting Ali in the 1974

Rumble in the Jungle,
Ali's upset victory

over George Foreman.

Throughout his life,
Don King proved

that he was a masterful
manipulator and the game's

consummate promoter.

In the late '80s
into the '90s, King

had his hooks into Mike Tyson.

Don King is one of the most
funniest men I've ever known.

He kept saying, "Lennox,
you're the greatest.

You should be with me.

You should be with me, come
over to the other side!"

Here he comes now!

Greatest heavyweight
champion of all time!

The baddest man on
planet Earth, the

meet and greet the heavyweight
champion of the world,

Lennox Lewis!

Lennox Lewis!

And you think, Don, let's
get down to the business.

I'm not worth of
tying his shoelace.

He's standing beside me,
the messiah of boxing.

Yes, Lennox Lewis!

Once the politics, what he
called polytricks, once them

polytricks are more
or less smoothed out,

Don King thought Tony
Tucker would beat Lennox.

NARRATOR: King had a
reason to be confident.

Tucker's record was 48 in 1, his
only last being to Mike Tyson.

But after a 12 round slugfest,
Lennox won by decision.

With his title legitimized,
next up he would face

fellow englishman Frank Bruno.

Great Britain, where prize
fighting finds its roots,

the past 100 years have given
them little reason to cheer.

There's a great tradition
of boxing in this country.

Unfortunately we don't have too
many good fighters these days.

And we certainly haven't had
too many good heavyweights.

The last undisputed
British heavyweight champion

was Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897.

Not until the arrival
of Lennox Lewis in 1992

would the British be
able to claim another.

But tonight's event takes
on greater significance,

as it marks the first
time in history that two

englishmen have
battled one another

for a world heavyweight title.

This guys been slagging
me down ever since he's

come back from Canada.

I'm going to knock him out,
knock him back to Canada.

I'm gonna knock him out so
hard that he's got to pay

to come back into the hall.

He said he's gonna
hit you so hard it's

gonna send you back to Canada.

Not a very nice
thing to say, but--

Well, he's trying to scare
me, but I can't be faded.

You will be knocked out.

Fight like you will
leave your feet.

We'll put you to sleep.

I mean, bring a pillow
to ringside for you.

Big boy, you going.

And lest you be
confused by that graphic,

keep in mind that Lewis
was awarded the WBC

heavyweight championship by that
governing body after Riddick

Bowe relinquished it
rather than to fight

him in a mandatory challenge.

That's why Bruno has
the chance to become

the first British heavyweight
to win a title in the ring.

No heavyweight has looked better
in the last couple of years

than Lewis with his
stunning destruction

of Razor Ruddock in 216 seconds
in Earls Court last October.

Bruno pounding his fists
together to jack himself up.

Mickey Van calls them
together, and round 1--

Good right hand by Bruno!

Bruno has Lewis
in serious trouble.

Let's see if Lennox
knows how to hold on.

Bruno pounding away to the body.

That right hand is one of the
biggest punches Lennox Lewis

has ever taken in his career.

Lewis in trouble in the corner.

And lands a
sensational left hook.

What a comeback by Lewis.

Now let's see if he can finish.

Bruno in serious trouble.

He's got him now,
if he can finish.

Right hand over the top.

It was a left hook
that turned this around

and a frozen Frank Bruno is
there kicking punishment.

And making Mickey
Van is gonna stop it.

It was a one punch comeback.

Lennox Lewis, desperately
behind on the score cards,

produced a
sensational left hook.

NARRATOR: Lennox started
1994 off with a bang.

He defended his title
with an eighth round

knockout of Phil Jackson.

Pepe and I would
kind of butt heads

in terms of what
was best for Lennox

in terms of what he wanted.

Where Davenport would
say to me, "this is what

I need Lennox to do, do it."

Pepe would always be
overseeing and overseeing,

and I think that started to
rub Lennox the wrong way.

We were in training
camp for the Oliver

McCall fight in the Catskills.

And I watched Pepe
Correa with Lennox.

And Lennox was sparring.

And he caught one of
the sparring partners

and wobbled him.

And it was only the first
round or second round.

And Pepe went,
"that's great, champ.

That's great, champ.

We don't need to see no more."

And I thought, what
the hell's he doing?

One round of sparring?

And I sat with Lennox.

And I said, "Lennox, you're
not responding to Pepe.

Please let me sack Pepe."

I said, I'll help Harold.

I'll help Courtney.

We can get through this,
because you trust them.

I said, and they're
there for you.

Pepe is a cheerleader.

And Lennox went, "Frank,
I can deal with it.

I'll win this fight,
and then we'll sit down,

and we'll sort out Pepe."

The Atomic Bull, as
Oliver McCall is known,

will exit from his dressing room
and make his way to the ring

right now.

As you can see, it's the first
championship fight for the man

promoted by Don King.

It's not unusual for
a fighter of his caliber

to get a championship shot.

What is unusual is that somebody
like that should be required

to fight for the Heavyweight
Championship by somehow

mysteriously being ranked
as the top contender.

Record for Lennox
Lewis, 25 wins, no losses.

21 wins by knockout,
including two

of the three title defenses.

Jim, it looks to me that
Oliver McCall is so emotional,

he's crying.

I had the exact same feeling.

He's trying to screw
up his courage,

but I think he's
wasting energy here.

That's exactly what I said.

So after some unusual moments--

they seem to crop up in every
heavyweight championship

fight--

here we go.

The bull has been known to
have very, very good stamina.

If the first round
is a prototype,

so far it's a good
one for Oliver McCall.

Lennox caught McCall with a
good punch in the first round.

And when he came back on
his stool, he sat down,

and Pepe Correa went to him,
"forget everything I've taught.

Just go out and knock him out."

You're looking good, OK?

You're fighting a very
intelligent fighter.

You're taking this
next punch away

from him in the right hand.
- Right.

He shot it twice, and every
time you roll and counter.

You caught him with
it once but you're

gonna make him quit
throwing it if you keep

throwing everything at him, OK?

Lewis threw more left
hands and fewer right

hands in the first
round than we've

seen him before, Gill, I thought
it was by his own fight plan.

But perhaps that's also
the fight plan of Stewart.

And you know--

down goes Lewis.

Down goes Lewis.

He caught a short
left hand inside.

Six, seven, eight, nine--

What is this?

The WBC's referee has
stopped this fight

after a count to nine with
Lewis standing in front of him.

And we're gonna
have a riot here.

Jose Guadalupe Garcia stopped
the fight in the second round.

But let's take a look at the
punch that put Lewis down.

That's hardly a
devastating punch.

This is really unusual.

But when you have a
heavyweight championship fight,

the heavyweight
champion should have

a chance to defend his title
almost to the last breath.

It's a strange sport,
Gill, and you see

strange things all the time.

You don't wanna leap to too
many conclusions too fast,

but you saw the
joy with which Don

King embraces his
return to a part

of the heavyweight championship.

It's been a few
years, and he's back.

Returned from almost oblivion.

Back on top again with
a heavyweight champion.

Never count him out.

Are we going to see
you again, Lennox?

Yes.

I may be down, but I'm not out.

Thank you very much, Lennox.

We were all sad coming
back into the hotel room,

you know, with our faces down.

He said to us, "why
are we all down?

We shouldn't be down.

You know, I'm gonna come back,
and I'm gonna beat this guy."

That morning, about
5:00 in the morning,

both he and Frank
Maloney, they were

already plotting
how we were gonna

go back and get the title.

NARRATOR: Lennox
maintained the same core

team throughout his career.

People like Courtney and
Egerton, who we grew up with,

or like Herald
Knight, who was right

there at the start of his
career, people that kept him

grounded.

But at critical points, Lennox
always found a better captain

to steer the ship,
especially when it

went through turbulent waters.

After the upset victory
of Oliver McCall, who

better to hire than the
architect of his only loss,

Emanuel Steward?

Emanuel Steward
was good friends

with one of my first
mentors, John Davenport.

So when he came with us,
our team with Lennox Lewis,

I was more happy than
Lennox, because, man,

Steward was like a sage.

He was a guru.

Frank Maloney and myself,
after Lennox got knocked out

by Oliver McCall, we literally
pulled Emanuel Steward right

then and there in the
ring, you're coming

with us from here on out.

NARRATOR: Before engineering
Lennox's only defeat,

Emanuel Steward had
developed a reputation

for turning good
boxes into champions

of the highest caliber.

When I first became
involved with Lennox,

Lennox actually was too
tentative and too cautious.

But I've always predicted
that Lennox Lewis would

be a great heavyweight, was
possibly the best heavyweight

out there, even when
I was training Evander

Holyfield and Oliver McCall.

Particularly the fights
where people are questioning

his toughness, I would say.

Those seem to be the fights
that motivate him the most.

One of the things that made
Emanuel Steward the greatest

boxing trainer of all
time, in my personal view,

was that he perfectly understood
that every single fighter comes

from a different incubus,
a different background.

And he wanted to know who
they were, and know what made

them tick, and respond to that.

The first time I actually
met Emanuel Steward,

he said he watched me
boxing, and he thinks

I have a lot of natural
talent, and he thinks

I'll be a champion one day.

But he told me that way
when I was an amateur.

And then we picked
him up at the airport,

went out for dinner,
and Lennox, while we

were having dinner,
started saying "Manny,

tell me how you beat me."

And he'd get up and
he'd demonstrate.

"I saw you doing this.

This is what we looked for.

We knew this was one
of your tendencies,

and we wanted to lure
you into this position.

We're gonna get in the gym,
and I'm gonna change that,

so you never get caught
with that punch again."

He said to Lennox, "I
want you in the gym

tomorrow morning, 9:00."

The one thing that was
different about Manny,

he got right in the
ring, and he showed you.

I went to meet with
Lennox, and after the meeting

I had a good feeling.

And we worked out in the gym.

There was very good chemistry
between Lennox and I.

And I decided that
I was gonna do it.

When Emanuel
took over, I think

more of the technical
side came out in Lennox.

It was more about
boxing, more about the jab,

more about the uppercut,
the right hook.

He wasn't just a
trainer, a coach, a mentor.

He was a people's person.

He used to take myself,
obviously Lennox Lewis,

and Courtney Shand driving
around town in his candy

apple Rolls Royce with the white
top, with the white top down.

And that personal relationship,
he used to talk with Lennox.

He used to talk with all of us.

We always went to camp
for like almost 12 weeks.

The first week was just,
I want you guys to sleep.

I want you guys
to get some rest.

We're gonna get up.

We're not gonna start
training right away.

Just come in, rest.

You remember Pepe Correa,
who was Lewis's trainer,

fired after Lewis's
loss to Oliver McCall.

Tonight, he will work in
Lionel Butler's corner.

Emanuel Steward trained Evander
Holyfield to his upset victory

over Riddick Bowe,
and then trained

McCall, as we've mentioned,
to his victory over Lewis.

Lewis suddenly doing a lot
of work with the left hand.

And that is relatively new.

Go out there and jump on this.

You gotta jump on him,
hit him in the head.

Keep your right hand up.

Your biggest mistake is
your right hand is too low.

And that right hand might
be enough to finish it.

And it is.

And the thunder is still there
in Lennox Lewis's right hand.

Lennox Lewis has got
this punching power.

All he needs is a
little more confident.

This guy can rule the
heavyweight division

for a long time with
that extra reach he has.

Resistance.

There's a lot of it.

He's caught here
and [INAUDIBLE]..

It stopped.

Even before he hit the
floor, Roy [INAUDIBLE]

decided that that was enough.

His were blocked by
Lennox Lewis's arms.

And there's a
monumental uppercut.

This is the best
Lewis we've seen

in a while, much more measured,
less wild, better footwork.

Much better footwork.

Lane is getting very
close to a stoppage here.

You get that sense.

Now goes Morrison again.

A terrific performance
by Lennox Lewis.

Defensively he kept
that right hand up,

so that he completely
neutralized Tommy Morrison's

outstanding left hook.

You describe for us
how you were different,

or how you felt
different in this fight

than you have in
some other fights.

Differently Emanuel Steward.

I have to give credit to
Emanuel Steward and the team

behind me, Courtney Shand,
Harold the Shadow Knight.

They've helped me develop this.

NARRATOR: Lennox beat Tommy
Morrison in brutal fashion.

Meanwhile, Tyson
was out of prison

and making his own comeback,
winning the WBC belt

for the second time
after he defeated

Frank Bruno, who had won it
by beating Oliver McCall.

Every fight brought
us a new objective.

I wanted to know that if
a man's blocking my jab

and he's learned to
control my job, well,

I've got a right hand.

If he's learned to
control that right hand,

I've got an uppercut hook.

For the winner on a split
decision, Lennox Lewis!

The WBC belt,
what happens now?

If you don't fight
Lennox Lewis, they're

either gonna take it away
or something's gonna happen.

I take all challengers.

Line them up.

NARRATOR: After
defeating Ray Mercer,

the WBC named Lennox as Tyson's
next mandatory challenge.

But Tyson's handlers
wouldn't agree to a fight

with Lennox, which led to a
rematch with Oliver McCall.

Good combination by Lewis.

Left hook and a right
hand over the top.

Just take your time, son.

Start ripping into the
body a little bit now, OK?

You're not pushing back any.

You gonna start pushing back.

McCall is doing a very
strange thing here, folks.

He's walking around.

He's wandering
around the ring.

He hasn't gone to his corner,
and he's trying to figure out

what's gone wrong.

Lennox Lewis in an awfully
difficult and awkward position.

Lewis doing what he has to do.

You wonder how much longer Mills
Lane will allow this to go.

And that's-- that's gonna be it.

NARRATOR: After avenging his
only loss by defeating Oliver

McCall, Lennox dominated his
next three opponents, all

of them top 10 contenders,
who many thought

would give him trouble.

While Lennox was blazing
through the division,

Mike Tyson was struggling
to defeat his own demons.

What happened here?

He got bit, I think.

My goodness, he's
got a bloody right ear!

Holyfield bit by a
dirty Mike Tyson.

See, look at him.

You can see it.

You can see it!

There it is!

I can't believe what
I'm seeing, fellas.

He's signaling that it's over.

I think they've just
about had enough.

Tyson showing desperation and
biting Holyfield two times.

Look out now!

More fighting in the ring
After the end of the fight.

NARRATOR: With two victories
now over Tyson and Bowe

out of the picture,
Evander holyfield

was considered the real deal.

Lennox ranked number two behind
him for three years in a row.

'96, '97, and '98.

That had him burning up inside.

There was only one
way to settle it.

Riddick Bowe didn't
want to fight Lennox,

so Riddick Bowe came to me.

Tyson didn't fight Lennox.

He fought me.

Each and every time that
they had an opportunity

to choose to fight Lennox,
they chose to fight me,

because they thought I
was a lesser opponent.

And I always surprised them.

So out of respect, I had
to face him and give him

the opportunity
that he had given

me of being the three time
heavyweight champ of the world.

With a victory over
Evander Holyfield,

Lennox Lewis will become maybe
one of the most powerful men

to ever be in boxing.

This will take you and bring
you into full visualization.

This is your hour.

Before you talk
about Tyson, Tyson

will be bigger than the event.

No matter if you
win, you don't win.

You know what I mean?

Holyfield has
diminished that light.

You've got it going in here.

I don't know what it is, but
this is the type of fight

that's got us all excited.

It broke me out
into a cold sweat.

NARRATOR: The time had come for
Lennox and Evander Holyfield

to touch gloves.

Entire career, two-time
heavyweight champion

of the world, Olympic
gold medal winner,

it won't mean
anything if he does

not beat Evander Holyfield.

He will just be another kid
with dreadlocks from England.

I got Sean Connery doing the
voiceover on the commercial.

Get out of here.

Yeah?

007, baby!

And what's it been like the
last few days in New York?

Countless press
conferences, everybody

wanting to talk to you?

You must get fed up with it.

You must want to
get on with it now.

Yeah, definitely.

I've done countless interviews
asking the same questions

over and over.

Now I think these questions need
to be answered with a fight.

Believe me,
Holyfield gonna put

something on his hands, man.

Oh, yeah, he gonna
pound on his ass.

Come on, man.

He gonna get pounded on, man.

We couldn't paint a ticket
in if we were an artist.

It's a sold out fight three
months before the fight.

It's the fastest sell-out
in heavyweight history,

in the history of the garden.

And so we have just the
biggest fight, four times

as big as any event
money-wise in the garden.

So these are some first
in history making events

that you have with the
Real Deal Holyfield

against Lennox Lewis,
Holyfield, of kind of the IBF

and the WBA, Lennox Lewis,
the king of the WBC,

and Don King, the
king of the ring.

Don't even worry.

Don't even worry.

Lenny, you got your jacket?

Yeah.

Before you was
born, it was written.

This is the moment of truth.

Lennox Lewis enters first.

He has labored long
and bucked the tide

of a lot of disrespect on
this side of the Atlantic

to get to this threshold.

As a professional, 34 wins, the
one second round knockout loss

one punch at the
hands of McCall later

avenged, 27 knockouts for
the two-time belt-holder

from England.

(SINGING) We sing Holy Father,
power and strength to the Lord.

And here we go.

It's the moment you've
all been waiting for.

Only three men
left in the ring.

And we're underway.

Holyfield seeming to
slip as Lewis landed

the first punch of the bout.

That goes by the wayside
because Holyfield only

threw 17 punches in round 1.

Quiet here at floor
level, where the Holyfield

fans are wondering why
their man doesn't get off.

Raucous noise in the
upper deck, where

the englishmen are enjoying
Lewis's early dominance.

--won't win for
Evander Holyfield.

And he cringes against the ropes
as Lewis lands a right hand.

They're singing upstairs.

They're cheering downstairs.

The applause is building.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

[BELL RINGS]

Not since Bob
Fitzsimmons in 1897

has a citizen of
Great Britain held an

undisputed heavyweight title.

We may be minutes away from
that watershed right now.

Final punch stat numbers
are overwhelmingly

one sided, Lewis
landing 218 more blows,

more than doubling Holyfield's
landed punch number,

and nearly doubling his output.

We go to the
scorecards at this time.

Judge at ringside
Eugenia Williams scores

about 115 to 113 in favor
of Evander Holyfield.

[CHEERING]

Judge at ringside Stanley
Christodoulou scores

about 116 to 113 in
favor of Lennox Lewis.

Judge at ringside
Larry O'Connell scores

the bout 115 to 115.

Even a draw, the
decision is even a draw.

Both champions
retain their belts.

That's a travesty.

That is, ladies and
gentlemen, a travesty,

an outrage, a highway robbery.

Lennox Lewis has
just been robbed

of the undisputed heavyweight
championship of the world.

He won it, and he didn't get it.

You know, that is a shame.

Emanuel Steward, first
give us your impression

of the scoring of the fight.

You know, first of all,
it was a terrible decision.

Anybody can see the fight.

Now, I normally
don't even complain,

even the Thomas Hearns Sugar
Ray Leonard number 2 fight.

But this fight is really
what's hurting boxing.

Every time we try to move boxing
forward and make a great fight

of some type like
this, this kind of crap

just comes on, where
Evander only won

three rounds, four at the most.

But nevertheless,
it's called a draw.

This is what's killing boxing.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

Watch it, watch it, watch it.

[INAUDIBLE]

I was fucking afraid of that.

A draw?

You shut his ass down.

Let's talk like
we're champions.

We won the fight.

That's how we're talking
at the press conference.

Yeah.

positive vibes.

Positive.

We're the people's
champion, at all times.

We're here.

We're here to face
all of our accusers.

Don't be shy.

If you think that
he lost the fight,

tell him that you think that.

The judges didn't think it.

And I tell you, he's
ready to do it again.

When you get a man hurt,
you're supposed to finish it.

You don't play chess with it.

Where was that third round?

That's what I want to know.

What happened in
that third round?

Well, Lennox, you know what?

Have you ever thought
about when we fight again,

I got another chance to do it?

Yes, yes, it ain't over yet!

Yeah, it's not over.

It ain't over yet!

Thank you very much.

You're very kind,
and I love you.

Now we gonna do it again!

Don is a very smart man.

Regardless of what
people say about him,

Don is a very smart man.

So when Lennox never signed
with Don and beat every fighter,

that more or less incensed
Don a little bit more

to have that little
thing against Lennox.

It seems so unfair that guys
like Don King and Bob Arum

and these guys are getting
crazy rich off of the blood

and sweat of these
boxers, and then

they end up with very little.

Absolutely.

I mean, if you look at
the Holyfield fight,

Holyfield made $15
million in one fight.

I made 10, and Don King made 10.

But he never
stepped in the ring.

You know what you
guys should have done?

Honestly, after the fight,
beat the [BLEEP] out of him.

[LAUGHTER]

Right after it.

Now after being in
the ring with Holyfield,

we didn't have to really go
back to study tapes and do this,

because Lennox had 12
rounds in his mind.

And once you've fought
with Lennox once,

once he's in the
ring with you once,

there is no way you're gonna
get him the second time.

We knew, OK, we can't
leave it to the judges.

We weren't just gonna
be fighting Holyfield.

We'll be fighting the judges.

We'll be fighting
the establishment.

He hopes for a rematch
with you if he can.

Who?

Holyfield.

Boxing for the undisputed
heavyweight championship

of the world.

[BELL RINGS]

We shall have drama tonight.

Already we can see
Holyfield trying to get closer

to Lewis right from the get-go.

Get his attention.

Keep shooting the right hand.

You're shooting him
right, but shoot him low.

Don't shoot him high.

Keep your arms close.

Lewis to the body.

His own right hand lands flush.

They trade shots at close
range, and summon the best round

these two fighters have fought
against each other in two

fights.

Their heads come
together again,

and Lewis produces some good
in-fighting as he drives

Evander back to the wall.

Well, Evander Holyfield
won't knock down anybody.

Uppercut lands for Lewis.

Multiple punches for Lewis.

Holyfield knocked
over, fires the right

and drives Lewis into the ropes.

Lennox goes back to the
body and the uppercut.

Lewis throws more and lands
more in almost every round.

We're gonna find out in five
more seconds of fighting.

They fought a much
better fight this time.

[BELL RINGS]

And the fans appreciate it.

We go to the scorecards
with a unanimous decision.

Here are the score totals.

Judge at ringside Jerry
Roth scores it 115 to 113.

Judge Chuck Giampa
scores it 116 to 112.

Judge at ringside Bill Graham
sees it 117 to 111, all three

in favor of the winner and the
undisputed heavyweight champion

of the world, Lennox Lewis.

[CHEERING]

The first unified
heavyweight champion

from Britain in a century,
what do you think this will do

for your legacy as a fighter
and the respect you have tried

to win over the last decade?

I think I went through
some trials and tribulations,

and enough people were
trying to stop me.

The Americans didn't want me
to take it over the Atlantic

to Britain, but I actually
persevered and succeeded.

NARRATOR: Finally, with his
clear victory over Holyfield,

Lennox ended the '90s number
one from Ring Magazine

for the very first time.

Here he was, Lennox Lewis,
the undisputed greatest.

The year 2000 was
prime time for Lennox.

He fought Michael
Grant, a 6'7 heavyweight

from Chicago who was even
bigger and seven years younger.

But he kicked his ass
in only two rounds.

Lennox went back
to England and got

Botha again in only two rounds.

Finally in November, he took
on a real fire hydrant, the guy

that everyone said
was hard to hit

like Tyson, Samoan David Tua.

But Lennox showed an ability
to adapt to any style

and won a decision in 12.

This is a lights out,
artistic performance

by a heavyweight champion
who, for the moment,

looks impregnable.

The people of Britain have
voted Muhammad Ali the sports

personality of the century.

NARRATOR: Finally,
with the respect

of being the
undisputed champion,

Lennox was honored by his
country alongside his greatest

childhood hero.

Muhammad Ali, our
sports personality

of the century, Lennox
Lewis, our sports

personality of the year.

NARRATOR: While Lennox was
at the peak of his career,

Frank struggled to keep a deep
secret hidden from the world.

I've always known
I was very different.

From the age of three and four,
I am born in the wrong body.

I could never let
anyone know this,

so I would have to fight it.

So all my life I went
through fighting it.

Lennox Lewis's career
and my success in boxing

gave me something
else to focus on.

But eventually there was
a change in the business

management side, and I
thought that this time they

were losing track of what
Lennox's career was about.

Being heavyweight
champion of the world,

they were now looking
more at commercial sides.

We were gonna fight
in South Africa.

Next thing I know, Lennox has
decided to train in Las Vegas,

because he's in a film
called Ocean's 11.

I was shooting
a movie with Julia

Roberts and George Clooney.

It was good.

It was great.

I was shooting a fight scene.

I shot my particular
little scene for Ocean's 11

with Larry Merchant
on one of the days

that Lennox was there to
shoot with Wladimir Klitschko.

And we were all
aware that in South

Africa was a fight
taking place at I

believe 6,000 feet altitude.

Hasim Rahman arrived three
weeks before the fight.

I pleaded with Lennox.

Lennox turned up I think
seven days before the fight.

Let's go ahead and jump on our
plans, try and get organized.

We definitely have to get
organized on this, for real.

We're just off to East
London for a quick stop

for two to three hours,
and then down to Capetown.

OK.

The heart of the whole matter,
it seems to me at this point,

based on what
everybody's writing

and how everybody sees this,
is, are you taking him lightly?

To me, the definition of that
comes from one question, OK?

If you were fighting Mike Tyson
in Johannesburg on this day--

OK.

You know, I knew that the
altitude might be a problem,

so I came over in time,
so I would feel like I

would overcome that obstacle.

I'm sure you're
confident of Lennox

winning on Sunday morning.

What happens next?

What's the scenario with Tyson?

Tyson is not an issue
until after the Rahman fight,

so we will not discuss
Tyson, but the priority

is to win the title.

Lennox, I've got to
ask you this question.

With the whole fight
public calling out for what

could possibly be
one of the biggest

fights in history, Tyson versus
Lewis, how do you stay focused?

How do you stay focused
on Hasim Rahman?

Well, what people
don't know, Lennox Lewis

is a true competitor, you know?

It doesn't matter if you say
let's run down the street.

I have to be first.

Ow!

Perfect.

In this situation, Hasim
Rahman is in front of me,

and he's an opponent, and
he's trying to get my titles,

and I'm not gonna allow that.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHEERING]

Lennox Lewis like a big cat.

Rahman, jab, jab, jab, jab.

Chases Lewis across the ring.

With a thunderbolt
from the right hand!

We got a brand new
heavyweight champion,

and he's from the United States.

When we lost to Hasim
Rahman in South Africa,

that was more shock
than anything.

I just got on a
plane and came home.

And I knew on that flight
that my days with Lennox

was numbered.

And it was numbered.

And it unfortunately there.

Lennox Lewis's career
and my success in boxing

gave me something
else to focus on.

But eventually I
couldn't keep the lid on

any longer, because I
was destroying myself.

And I came across a
counselor on the telephone.

I kept saying to the
counselor, I need you

to tell me I'm not transgender.

He said, until you come
to terms with yourself,

there's nothing anyone
can do to help you.

And I-- it took me ages to
come to terms with myself.

I attempted suicide.

About three days,
four days later, I

told my oldest daughter,
and she turned to me

and said, "do you know what?

I'd rather have
my dad in a dress

than see my dad in a wooden box.

So whatever help you need
to find that inner peace,

I'm there for you."

That really said to
me, do you know what?

I've got to let Kellie
come out full time

and be herself,
and put Frank away.

And Lennox Lewis was
obviously asked the question,

and he put out a
fantastic statement.

"If this makes Frank or makes
her happy, then so be it,

and I'm happy for her."

Which I think helped
the boxing world

be a little bit more acceptful
than I expected it to be.

We've had a lot of good
times and a lot of fun,

so it was a little shock.

But once again, who
are we to judge anyone?

And Lennox once again, he
took the first step to say,

"do what you gotta do, Kellie,
and I accept you for Kellie."

And that helped me to
accept Kellie for Kellie.

He showed what a
compassionate and understanding

human being he was.

NARRATOR: As Frank struggled
with his gender identity,

Lennox coped with
his loss to Rahman

by meeting another
one of his heroes,

Nelson Mandela, who offered sage
advice on overcoming adversity.

It is the nature of sport
that you will have triumphs

and you will have adversities.

Legends like Joe Lewis, as you
know, people like Muhammad Ali

have also had a similar fate.

But he came back twice
and won the title.

And I say to Lennox, he must
not wonder at all if he trains

properly and he uses the
advantage that he has,

that left jab of his.

I didn't know that he's
been watching me all this time

and studying me.

And this is Nelson Mandela.

So that was a
great thing for me,

just to even know that, wow,
this guy's been watching me,

studying me, knows how I
box, and he can tell me

that I'm gonna go in there and
win the next time I go in there

and fight.

We spoke earlier about the
first time I met Lennox Lewis.

And in that very
first meeting, I

remember being
struck by how cool

he was, how unaffected he
was by the significance

of that occasion.

The Lennox Lewis that I met
that day before the Ruddock

was the same guy who
did the interview

with Larry Merchant following
the loss to Hasim Rahman.

Lennox, when all
is said and done,

did you take him too lightly?

No, not really.

This is what happens
in heavyweight boxing.

You get caught with a
good shot, you don't beat

the count, they stop the fight.

Simple as that.

But there's always a next time.

You know what I mean?

I can understand how easy it
was for him to not necessarily

dismiss what happened
in Johannesburg

but to understand it,
to look at himself

through a certain filter
and say, OK, I did that.

I created the
circumstances for that.

I must learn a lesson from it.

And fortunately, I'm big
enough and important enough

that I'll get the
chance at the rematch.

I've got the mountains
to my back in Africa, son.

What do you say?

Is it time for the rematch?

In less than four
months, I'll be ready.

I'll be ready.

For most fighters,
and particularly for big

heavyweights, once a guy
has eliminated you with one

colossal shot, it's
very difficult to regain

the confidence, the
wherewithal, the self-possession

to believe that you're gonna go
in and knock him out instead.

NARRATOR: What do we do
with these rare instances

when the chance for
redemption is upon us?

The Rahman rematch was
one of those moments,

but it was about more
than just redemption.

The outcome would determine
whether Lennox would have

a chance to cement his legacy
in one of the biggest fights

in the history of the sport.

[SHOUTING]

Or leave behind a
trail of questions

about what could have been.

There have been times where
he's just been sort of painting

his opponent and moving
away at the same time,

but he's throwing some
hard left hands tonight.

Here some jabs.

That is one stiff jab.

Perhaps Rahman got under
Lewis's skin with the taunting,

but Lewis got under
his skin with a punch.

He seems for
the moment to have

nullified Rahman's righthand.

Ooh!

It's over.

Lennox Lewis!

That may turn out to be
Lennox Lewis's most respected

performance ever in the ring.

Isn't that something?

When he came back and won his
title back from Hasim Rahman,

that was a really good comeback.

He knocked him
out in four rounds.

To me, that was priceless.

The first thought that
goes through my mind,

getting ahead of the game.

Listen to the
crowd as they watch

that, is that when
Mike Tyson sees that,

he might not want to
fight Lennox Lewis.

NARRATOR: Having
lost and regained

his titles in the
same calendar year,

Lennox was number one again.

But there was still this
nagging 5'11 225 pound itch.

There was still Mike Tyson.

Something crossed Cus
D'Amato said when we were

sparring, "Mike, don't do that.

You're gonna fight
this guy someday."

Exact words Cus D'Amato said.

So I was thinking, is
this ever gonna happen?

And you know, it happened.

Pans back up.

There you go.

Right back.

There you go.

Good fighting.

I'm trying to get that
combination punch in there.

You did a lot of--

I came across as the
villain, the bad man,

which I didn't mind.

I don't take it personally.

I like getting
under people's skin.

Defense is impregnable.

And I'm just ferocious.

I want your heart.

I wanna eat his children.

He said to some
fighter, was it you,

that he wanted to
eat their children?

Yeah, I was really
disappointed when he said that,

but hopefully when we fight,
he's a vegetarian at that time.

This is like in one sense
an ultimate match-up

between good versus evil.

I look at myself as the good.

I look at him at evil.

From the moment
we got together

for the press conference,
there was so much tension.

And I remember when
we got to New York

the night before
the press conference

and he said, "if Mike
makes one move at me,

forget all the money.

I'm not backing down from him.

I'm not backing up from him."

All of a sudden,
I seen him take

his hat off and throw
it on the ground

and start marching towards me.

Boom, I was on it.

The first three
punches were mine,

and the first bite was his.

You're scared now, you ho.

You're scared like a
little white [BLEEP]..

Right then I knew,
and Lennox knew,

we was gonna beat Mike Tyson.

So that was small little
things that play a big part

of that psychological.

Because if you
remember, Mike was

always psychologically beating
guys before the fight happened.

You see what I'm saying?

So it flipped a
little right there.

I remember general sports
reporters would literally

giggle when I would tell
them that Lennox Lewis had

enormous advantages over Mike
Tyson, and it was hard for me

to see how Tyson could ever
possibly overcome them.

And because their general
attitude was, you know,

Lennox Lewis is an English
guy who drinks tea,

and Mike Tyson is Mike
Tyson, so obviously

you're out of your mind, Jim.

You don't know what
you're talking about.

This is clearly going
to be a one sided

wipe-out in Tyson's favor.

That was what they thought
was still happening

in every Mike Tyson fight.

This is war.

We ain't come to play.

We ain't come to
dance with Elvis.

We come here to
knock Mike Tyson out.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: Finally, 19
years after sparring

in the Catskills, the time
had come for these two titans

to face each other in
one of boxing history's

most anticipated match-ups.

Too big, too strong, baby.

Trying to tell you.

Too big, too strong.

NARRATOR: A member of
the opponent's team

is allowed in the dressing
room before the fight

to make sure that the gloves
are put on within the rules.

No extra padding, no rough edges
at the seams of the leather.

When they are satisfied,
they sign the gloves.

This is usually a
straightforward process,

but this night was different.

Come on, Lennox.

Let him sign, then
get out of your hair.

One for all!

All for one!

Let's go, let's go!

As the challenger
for the crown,

Mike Tyson will walk out first.

SONG: This is the fucking
shit I've been talking about.

And here comes Iron Mike.

SONG: You think
it's a fucking game?

Come on!

The fighters will
now touch gloves

in the center of the ring.

Come on, man.

Come on, man.

[WHISTLING]

[CHATTERING]

And here comes Lennox Lewis.

[REGGAE MUSIC PLAYING]

The accompanying
music, a tribute

to Lewis's Jamaican heritage.

He is really a man of
three countries, Jamaica,

Canada, and Great Britain.

But not the US, so
they're not gonna give

him too many applause here.

If they didn't like it
yesterday, you're no good.

So Emanuel Steward
goes in first.

And Lennox Lewis steps
between the ropes.

These two great
heavyweights must now step

forward when the bell rings.

Only one will be destiny's hero.

Only one will pass from
heavyweight greatness

to heavyweight legend.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Well, the jab was
a pretty stiff jab.

David Tua made the same mistake.

Mike's supposed to
work on the underjabs.

The jabs don't
even have to land.

He's gotta hit him--

--hit by Lewis.

That was big.

Boy, Tyson's got a good chin.

Mike Tyson is being dictated
to by craft, technique,

professional skill.

That's what Lewis has
in addition to his size.

He certainly demonstrated some
of the very best of it tonight.

Hugh right hands.

Tyson gets in an uppercut.

Shades of Tokyo and the one
time he got to Buster Douglas

in the end of the eight round.

And that's gonna be perhaps
the end of the fight.

It'll take some courage for
Mike to get up from the shot.

Eight, nine!

He's out.

Lennox Lewis knocks
out Mike Tyson

and banishes him from
the upper stratosphere

of the heavyweight division.

Lennox Lewis, world junior
champion, Olympic gold

medalist, three-time
heavyweight champion,

knock-out conqueror
of Mike Tyson,

what else could he prove?

And over the years,
I studied Lennox Lewis.

He was if not the most important
certainly one of the most

important fighters I had
covered to that point

in my boxing career.

And I came to the conclusion
that having escaped

the nightmare of his childhood,
having escaped circumstances

under which he was taken
away from his mother,

he had run afoul of
difficult circumstances

on the streets in Canada and
could have destroyed his life

with a mistake at any moment
up there, and eventually ran

into a man Arnie Boehm, who
unlike the people who took Mike

Tyson in and from the beginning
saw him as a commodity

to exploit, this
man in Canada who

found Lennox Lewis saw
him as a valuable person

to be supported and redeemed.

And because of the difference
in those two mindsets

and the difference in
those two processes,

you get the difference
in those two lives.

You get the Lennox Lewis, who
was capable of brushing aside

almost any setback and
continuing to calmly focus

on his belief in himself, and
his belief in where ultimately

he could get to, and the
deeply insecure Mike Tyson,

who always knew
that he was there

to serve someone else's agenda.

Hey, I love you, Mike.

You love me, Mike?

Love you.

All right.

If you piece together those
two threads over a long period

of time, you can see the
difference in the two

human beings, and you get
to the point of the post

fight interview in Memphis.

You said you had to win
this fight to clean up boxing.

Do you feel you've
accomplished that?

I went out there and showed
them I'm a pugilist specialist.

I can adapt to any style.

And you know, he showed me
one style that a lot of people

didn't think I was gonna
be able to deal with,

but I was able to deal with it.

A lot of people thought he was
gonna get away from my jab,

but nobody gets
away from my job.

Mike, are you sorry this fight
didn't take place years ago?

It wasn't meant to be.

I've known Lennox since
he was 16, 15 years old.

I have mad respect.

Everything I said
was in proposition

for promoting the fight.

He knows I love
him and his mother.

And I know that he thinks
I don't have respect

and love him, he's crazy.

NARRATOR: Although Lennox
only had one fight in 2002,

beating Tyson was enough
to keep him at number one.

You've proven everything.

You've beaten everybody.

You've avenged the
losses you've had,

and you've conquered
the man who you

said would make your legacy.

What now?

Well, you know, I'm gonna
take it one day at a time,

see what happens after this.

Lennox Lewis, y'all!

This is the woman that I love.

He's all right.

And she has given birth to
this universal champion that

will reign all over the world.

I love the brother.

NARRATOR: Time goes
by and people change.

Lennox started to find
that other things in life

appealed to him.

And he phones me and
told me that he find--

he met a girl, and that
her name was Violet.

I ran into him at a
restaurant in New York City.

I said, wow, for a boxer
he's very handsome.

When I met Lennox and I
asked him, where do you live?

He says, I live on the planet.

And then he explained.

He says, "well, I was born in
England, I grew up in Canada,

and my parents are Jamaican.

But I identify with the world."

So I found him to be
quite introspective,

and it led to further
conversations.

On the way out, I walked
out of the restaurant.

Halfway to the train
station, I turned around

and went back to the restaurant
and interrupted his dinner.

And I just remember
telling him, "I

really appreciate
how you represent us,

because you do
represent us well."

And I walked out and left.

Two years later, to be exact,
we met again in Jamaica.

When that desire
is no longer there

to get up when
it's cold outside,

when it's snowing outside, and
it's nice and warm in your bed

with silk sheets and you have
your fiancee, your future wife

with you, and you don't have
that desire to get up anymore,

that's when it's
actually time to retire.

But he wanted to show
that he was the best.

NARRATOR: For the last
fight of his career,

Lennox took on Ukrainian
Vitali Klitschko,

and successfully defended
his undisputed title

to the very end.

Now, as he entered
retirement, Lennox

finally had a partner
to help balance

his life outside of the ring.

I think that he
achieved his goals.

He achieved his
legacy to be a world

champion and the
undisputed world champion.

Well, he's one of three
to retire with the title.

Not got beat.

Retired with the title, and
he went out on his own terms.

I think he would have beat
every heavyweight champion.

I saw most all of them fighting
and training in the camps.

Ali and Joe Frazier,
Sonny Liston,

I've been with all of them.

Larry Holmes.

Lennox Lewis would
have beat all of them.

He would definitely
have himself established

as maybe the greatest
heavyweight boxer now.

When he told me
that Violet, that they

were gonna have their first kid,
something bigger was coming.

Made me think of that moment
when we were kids on the bus,

and he said, "there's
bigger things to come, man."

So when he was retiring, that's
what was going through my head.

He retired in February,
and our son was born in June.

I was born in New York,
and I lived in Jamaica

practically my whole life.

His game plan
was always focus on

boxing, and when
that is finished,

then I focus on my
family, my children,

and give them the things
that I didn't have,

which was mainly the stability
of having a mom and a dad.

He really wanted
to break the cycle

of what he had been through.

In life, nothing is
really given to you.

You have to earn it.

From my last daughter,
we got the news

that she's got trisomy-19.

I didn't realize how
extreme it was until we got

all the information about it.

Most kids with her
condition don't survive,

but she's strong.

She's really strong.

She's a fighter.

It's still difficult,
because it's

like we know kids that have this
condition don't last that long.

It's one day at a time.

OK, OK.

"Float like a butterfly,
sting like a bee."

Who knows what that is?

NARRATOR: Building
upon the humanity

of those who had taught him
how to box, Lennox focused

on charities that would
help lift young people out

of their trouble by teaching
them to overcome adversities

through the sport of boxing.

You're sticking your chin out.

You've got to hide that.

You've got to hide your chin.

You wanna protect it as
well with your hands.

At least one of them.

He is the epitome
of what a world

champion is supposed to be.

NARRATOR: Of his
41 winning bouts,

Lennox's reign with the
WBC belt lasted 16 fights.

Out of the ring,
Lennox kept his mother,

brother, and childhood friends
like Courtney and Egerton

around him.

A close-knit family team
that kept him grounded.

But he also gathered a team
of experts from Frank Maloney

and Harold Knight to one of
the greatest coaches in boxing

history, Emanuel
Steward, who helped

him climb to the mountaintop.

He retired as one of only
three heavyweight champions

in the history of
the sport to have

beaten every man he
faced alongside Rocky

Marciano and Muhammad Ali.

Who are these men we call
heavyweight champions?

Why do we look up to them?

Because they embody all
that's heroic and just?

Or is it that we
can not look away?

Who are the real champions?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SONG: Emancipate yourselves
from mental slavery.

None but ourselves
can free our mind.

Oh, I've no fear
for atomic energy.

Muhammad Ali, he picked
us before he passed

to say he wants these two guys,
the guys that fought together,

were foes, put them together,
and make them love each other,

and put me to my resting place.

When me and Lennox
were pallbearers

for Muhammad Ali's funeral, that
was just a great honor for me.

Does anybody know
who Muhammad Ali is?

Yeah.

[CHEERING]

We sparred when we were kids.

We became very good friends.

And when we were young,
Lennox was real tall.

He was 6'5 when he
was probably 16.

And remember when
you were dancing,

like how you would dance like?

[LAUGHTER]

He still dances like that.

I do, too, now.

But listen, but
really why it was

close and meant a lot to me,
because Cus was alive then.

Arnie was alive then, right?

No one knew us.

You know, we were just
two guys coming up.

And then the '80--

what with the '84 Olympics.

We lost in '84 in Los Angeles.

Do you remember when we lost?

We were just walking
around like two schmucks?

Shit!

We went different
ways, but yet

we ended up in the same place.

So the friendship, I
believe, was always there.

And as a result, just
culminated to "we're

back where we started."

Look what we did
and we overcame, man?

That's just the biggest--

that's the biggest
accomplishment

that we didn't become
victims to our environments.

[APPLAUSE]

Because we were statistics
that became specialists.

And that's why
we're here, really.

Brother, please, just
come up here, please.

[CHEERING]

SONG: Let me tell you the
story about Lennox Lewis.

Undefeated, every
chance he never blew it.

Never lost, because he's
the best to ever do it.

Everyone who stepped in
the ring honestly knew it.

Undefeated gold medalist
against the best of them.

He knew his path was
never stressing him.

If you was smart, you
wouldn't mess with him.

Also a leader, a teacher,
you could progress with him.

Mike Tyson couldn't do it.

Holyfield couldn't prove it.

People know I was the last true
champion at the boxing ring,

and I'm stepping in.

Look, put down the guns,
pick up the gloves.

Going through so much
pain, we need some gloves.

Gotta show the youth
there is a better way,

so we can take the
time to educate.

And put down the guns,
pick up the gloves.

Going through so much
pain, we need some love.

Gotta show the youth
there is a better way,

so we can take the
time to educate.

Now it's for the youth,
stay in the right direction.

Be positive, make love
rather than aggression.

Nelson Mandela
taught us a lesson.

Went to the safari, let
Lewis under pressure.

Before he died, Ali crowned him
and called him the greatest.

When it comes to helping out,
he don't mind doing favors.

Just like that, with your
mind you can fight back.

Have to stay on the right track,
get the picture like IMAX.

The sky's the limit when
you never try to reach it.

Whatever you put your mind
to, you can achieve it.

We need to drop
where you're from,

and just accept that you
are the undisputed king.

That's just what it is.

So until somebody
comes and changes

that and breaks that record,
you are still number one.

[INAUDIBLE] still alive.

That's awesome.

That's great.

That's great.

So not wanting to lose
really helps me win.

[LAUGHTER]

Who is the hardest
puncher you ever faced?

Fuck.

Probably Lennox Lewis.

For real?

Yeah.

That motherfucker's
hands was this big.

One night that motherfucker
grabbed my weed

and rolled a blunt
with one hand.

That motherfucker's hand
was this big, one of them.

Yeah, he's a monster.

What was it that set
him apart from the others?

Let Lennox weather the storm?

Riots that killed 63 people
and injured thousands?

Yeah, yeah.

Don King was boxing's
longest running pimp.

I think you got there.

Gotta take it.

Here?

Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

Some would say, maybe he
didn't want to face Lennox.

Some would say,
maybe he was afraid

that Lennox would
kick his ass, just

like he did in the Olympics.

[LAUGHTER]

That was awesome.

I liked that one.

I kind of shocked myself
when that shit came out.

I saw you getting it.

I saw you getting it.

You didn't get that?

What the fuck, Hugh?

[LAUGHTER]

Lennox fucking Lewis,
champion forever.

Believe it.