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
Lennox Lewis vs. Lionel Butler round. After the knockdown, the referee ended the fight and Lewis was named the winner by technical knockout at 2:55 of the fifth round. Lewis' victory was originally supposed to make him the mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title, which McCall was to defend against Frank Bruno later in the year on September 2. Bruno would win the title after defeating McCall by unanimous decision, however, the WBC bumped Lewis aside and instead made the returning Mike Tyson their number one contender, giving him the first shot at Bruno. Lewis would threaten the WBC with legal action in attempt