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
Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield protested by the National Organization for Women. Tyson, in the meantime, had been somewhat active since his release from prison. After defeating journeyman Peter McNeeley in his first fight and fringe contender Buster Mathis, Jr. in his follow-up, Tyson regained the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship in Las Vegas on March 16, 1996 by knocking out champion Frank Bruno. Tyson, however, was stripped of the WBC title after winning Bruce Seldon's WBA title for electing to fight Holyfield instead of WBC number one contender Lennox Lewis. Showtime promoted the event as a heavyweight title tripleheader, as two other champions were