Lennox Lewis vs. Lionel Butler to gain the title match with Bruno, but the WBC would ultimately rule in favor of Tyson. Confirmed bouts: Lennox Lewis vs. Lionel Butler Lennox Lewis vs. Lionel Butler was a professional boxing match contested on May 13, 1995. The fight was a WBC "eliminator" bout with the winner scheduled to become the number one contender for the WBC heavyweight title. Lennox Lewis' previous fight had been a WBC heavyweight title defense against Oliver McCall. The then-undefeated Lewis entered the fight as an overwhelming favorite over the little-known McCall, however, McCall would stun the champion and the boxing world after
Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno time that two British-born boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title, although Bruno had questioned how British Lewis really was, as he had won a gold medal for Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games as an amateur. Bruno described Lewis as "...not British", but said "It's about boxing. I'm sick and tired of his pretenses. He calls himself champion. He acts like he's a Sugar Ray Leonard or a Willie Pep or a Joe Louis", and that "Nobody cares about Lennox Lewis in Britain." To counter the Bruno claim that he was "not British", Lewis said, "What was I