Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno lost his first defence against Mike Tyson and retired shortly afterwards. McCall returned to the ring 6 months later when he beat future WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev. In 1997 he fought a rematch again Lennox Lewis for the now vacant WBC title, which he lost in bizarre fashion as he refused to fight and started crying. Confirmed bouts: Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno, billed as "The Empire Strikes Back", was a professional boxing match contested on 2 September 1995 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship. After Oliver McCall narrowly beat former champion Larry Holmes in
Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer was a professional boxing match contested on May 10, 1996. Following victories over heavyweight contenders Lionel Butler and Tommy Morrison, Lennox Lewis was now regarded as the number one contender for the WBC Heavyweight Title, which was then held by Frank Bruno. However, the WBC chose to bypass Lewis and instead sanctioned a championship bout between Bruno and Mike Tyson, who had returned to boxing the previous year after serving over three years in prison. Lewis brought the matter to court, claiming that he, not Tyson, deserved to face Bruno