Lennox Lewis: Celebrity fights will not tarnish great boxing like Usyk v Fury

Lennox Lewis is confident that boxing’s greatest prize has not been tarnished by the current trend for celebrity contests including Mike Tyson’s clash with Youtuber Jake Paul.

The former undisputed world heavyweight champion says next week’s rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh is a different world from the farce and pantomime that accompanied last month’s bout in Texas.

Lewis was ringside to watch his 58-year-old former foe – whom he beat in 2002 – and is also expected to be present in the Saudi capital to see if Fury can gain revenge over Ukrainian Usyk on December 21.

Lewis said: “To me you’re talking about different events – you’re talking about an event for fans of Tyson, to actually see him back in the ring, and fans of a Youtuber, to see him in the ring with Tyson.

“At the end of the day you’ve got a big event that a lot of people were happy to attend, and they felt OK. The boxing purist didn’t feel OK, they didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. They were two different events.

“Then you’ve got the real event which is the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, where the two best fighters in the world actually meet and box and we can actually see who is the best out of the two, and who is the king of heavyweight boxing at the moment.

“That type of boxing doesn’t tarnish great boxing such as Usyk and Fury, because you’ve got two different types of eras and things going on. You’ve got entertainment, and you’ve got real good fighting with drama.”

Lewis’ comments come amid rumours that Wladimir Klitschko could be tempted out of retirement at the age of 48.

Klitschko, who has not fought since his defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2017, had reportedly shown an interest in challenging IBF champion Daniel Dubois on the Saudi undercard.

However, the 59-year-old Lewis, who has resisted all overtures to make a comeback after signing off with a win over Vitali Klitschko in 2003, has all but ruled out following in Tyson’s footsteps.

“I have started training again, because I want to be in great shape by my (60th) birthday,” added Lewis.

“(But) nobody’s really made that offer to me to consider anything like coming back.”

:: Watch Usyk v Fury Reignited 2 on TNT Sports Box Office. Coverage starts from 4pm on Saturday 21 December. Find out how you can watch at tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice.