Mike Tyson fought, and was beaten by, both Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, but only one of them has been crowned the best opponent he ever faced.
Prior to his first encounter with Holyfield, ‘Iron Mike’ was forced to rebuild his fearsome reputation after suffering a huge upset defeat to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990.
Not only that, but Tyson then served three years of an intended six-year prison sentence, before eventually reclaiming his WBC world heavyweight title with a third-round stoppage victory over Frank Bruno in 1996.
By then, it is fair to say that the monstrous puncher had restored much of his aura, and was therefore made a sizable favourite, ahead of his clash with Holyfield later that year.
And yet, despite that, a largely measured and disciplined performance from Holyfield ultimately saw Tyson get stopped in the 11th round.
The following year, he was then disqualified in their rematch after twice biting his opponent’s ear, an action he later attempted to justify by claiming that it was in response to several Holyfield headbutts.
As for Tyson’s encounter with Lewis in 2002, it could hardly be said that he was treated to a more straightforward night’s work.
Rather, the Brooklyn man, this time considered a clear underdog, was on the receiving end of a one-sided beating before suffering an eighth-round stoppage defeat.
At the time, Lewis, too, was arguably not the force that he once was, but still had enough left in the tank to dominate his rival from start to finish.
Tyson, however, told Ring Magazine that Holyfield was the best he ever went up against inside the squared circle.
“Holyfield. Great champion, chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour.”
