On this day in 2000: Lewis outpoints Tua to keep heavyweight titles

The judges scored it 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111, and Lewis used his ring interview to call out Mike Tyson.

Lennox Lewis kept his WBC, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles 26 years ago today, beating David Tua by unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada, on 11 November 2000. The New Zealander was his mandatory challenger, ranked number one by both the WBC and IBF.

Tua arrived with a 37-1 record, including wins over future heavyweight champions John Ruiz, Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman. His only defeat had come on points against Ike Ibeabuchi. He went in as a 3-1 underdog but called Lewis a "lazy fighter" and said: "The only way to win is to knock Lennox Lewis out."

Lewis had hoped to stage the bout in Toronto, his boyhood home, before it moved to Nevada. His previous two defences, against Michael Grant and Francois Botha, had both ended in the second round. Tua lasted the full 12, but all three judges scored it for Lewis, 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

Afterwards Lewis turned to Mike Tyson: "If Tyson wants to come to test; I'll put him to rest; Lennox Lewis is the best." His manager, Frank Maloney, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "He deserves it. He was robbed of a fight against Riddick Bowe; he was robbed of a fight with Michael Moorer, when Moorer was in his prime."

Lewis's next opponent was Rahman, whom Tua had stopped in 1998. Rahman, a 20-1 underdog, knocked Lewis out in the fifth round to become heavyweight champion. Tua never fought for a major title again: he reached the final of a four-man IBF eliminator tournament, where Chris Byrd beat him by unanimous decision.

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