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
Primo Carnera Lewis defended the WBC heavyweight title against fellow-Englishman Frank Bruno in 1993, sixty years later, that this would occur again. Trailing only Ezzard Charles and his 95 wins, Carnera holds the second-most victories of all heavyweight champions with 88. Carnera's 71 career knockouts is the most of any world heavyweight champion. Carnera appeared in a short film in 1931. During his tenure as world champion he played a fictional version of himself in the 1933 film "The Prizefighter and the Lady" starring Max Baer and Myrna Loy. Here he plays the heavyweight champion who barely holds onto his title with