In a friendly manner, Lennox Lewis shared his guidance with Anthony Joshua concerning the step aside payment he received from Don King, amounting to $4 million, which prevented a fight with Mike Tyson during the 1990s.

Responding to questions about Joshua’s alleged rejection of a $15 million deal to avoid a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed heavyweight champion expressed his disagreement.

Lewis strongly believes that Joshua should pursue the championship belts, drawing from his own experience when he faced a similar situation with Tyson and Don King.

Having initially aimed to reclaim his championship from Oliver McCall before confronting Tyson, Lewis accepted the money but was ultimately left empty-handed as Tyson relinquished the WBC title, similar to Riddick Bowe’s previous action to avoid facing Lewis.

Directly responding to whether Joshua should accept the substantial eight-figure sum, Lewis firmly stated, “No!” He further explained, “And before you mention the [$4 million] Tyson step aside money, please remember that I wasn’t coming off of a loss. I would prioritize regaining my belts first. This is not intended as advice or criticism toward AJ; it’s simply the approach I would take in that situation.”

The most notable aspect of the Lewis vs. Tyson story unfolded when the personal animosity between the two became evident.

MIKE TYSON
Tyson famously asserted to Lewis: “I am the most fierce, relentless, and ruthless champion in history.
Lennox claims to be a conqueror? No, he is not comparable to Alexander. I am the greatest of all time. My style is aggressive, my defense is impenetrable, and I possess sheer ferocity.
I desire your determination. I metaphorically want to overcome any challenge you present.”

In response, Lewis was a bit taken aback and replied, “When he expressed his intention to confront me, I thought to myself: ‘He’s coming for me? He must be out of his mind. Doesn’t he realize that I am also going after him?’

“When he made the unsettling comment about consuming my children, my mother asked, ‘What is he talking about? You don’t even have any children.’

“I am not inclined towards engaging in such crude and inappropriate conversations.”

Years later, when asked if Tyson had intimidated him, Lewis kindly shared with The Guardian, “Yes and no. Yes, because television portrayed him as larger than life, like King Kong.”

“However, no, because my trainer Manny Steward consistently assured me that Tyson would be the easiest opponent I’d face.”

“I would express my doubts, saying, ‘Come on, now. He’s bound to pose some challenges.’ Yet Manny would reassure me, saying, ‘No, it will be your simplest fight.’”