Mike Tyson for a more lucrative box-office venue, but the Nevada Boxing Commission refused him a license to box as he was facing possible sexual assault charges at the time. Two years prior to the bout, Tyson had made several inflammatory remarks to Lewis in an interview following the Savarese fight. The remarks included the statement "I want your heart, I want to eat your children." On January 22, 2002, the two boxers and their entourages were involved in a brawl at a New York press conference to publicize the planned event. A few weeks later, the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused
Mike Tyson vs. Mitch Green win a lopsided unanimous decision by two scores of 9–1 and one score of 8–2. Though the two fighters would never again face each other in a boxing ring, Tyson and Green were involved in a high-profile street fight two years later, by which time Tyson was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. On August 24, 1988, Green confronted Tyson at Dapper Dan's in Harlem, claiming that Tyson's promoter Don King owed him money. The argument then escalated into a physical confrontation during which Tyson landed a straight right hand across Green's face, completely shutting Green's left eye and opening a cut