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
TNA World Title Series the main event, Hardy was unable to win the TNA World Title Series tournament and therefore unable to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship as the match was ultimately won by Ethan Carter III, who became the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion for a second time. However, three days later at the "Impact Wrestling" tapings, Carter lost the title against Hardy in a Last Man Standing match on the January 19, 2016 episode of "Impact Wrestling", ending his reign at 14 days. During the match, a double turn took place with Carter turning face for the first time in