Lennox Lewis out American contender Lionel Butler. However, at the behest of promoter Don King, the WBC bypassed him and gave Mike Tyson the first chance at the title recently won by Briton Frank Bruno from Oliver McCall. Bruno had previously lost to both Lewis and Tyson. Lewis had the number 1 contender's slot in the WBC rankings when he knocked out Australian Justin Fortune, then defeated former WBO Champion Tommy Morrison in October 1995, followed by Olympic gold medalist and former WBO champion Ray Mercer in a close majority decision in May 1996. Lewis successfully sued to force Tyson to make
Johnny Bredahl over six rounds. Bredahl won seven of his first eight fights in a similar fashion. Bredahl won his first title belt, the Vacant EBU (European) Bantamweight Title, in March 1992 with a seven-round knockout win over Scotland's Donnie Hood. Later that year Bredahl won the WBO Super Flyweight Title with a win over Jose Quirino. Bredahl first opportunity to fight for a recognised world title belt came in December 1995 when he challenged Northern Ireland's Wayne McCullough for his WBC Bantamweight title. However, Bredahl suffered the first defeat on his career when McCullough beat Bredahl by a knockout in the