Wild reason why Lennox Lewis turned down Vince McMahon's $8.6M offer to face Brock Lesnar under MMA rules
Lennox Lewis and Brock Lesnar are undoubtedly two of the biggest superstars in the combat sports world today. While Lewis is considered among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Lesnar is widely known for winning heavyweight championships in the WWE, UFC, NJPW, and the NCAA.
In 2002, Lewis defeated Mike Tyson via eighth-round knockout during his second reign as the unified heavyweight champion. The incredible victory made him one of the biggest boxing stars in the world and cemented his legacy as a bonafide combat sports legend.
As per a recent article in Wrestling Observer Newsletter, as reported by TJR Wrestling, Lennox Lewis revealed that Vince McMahon made a stunning $8.6 million offer to convince the boxing champion to accept an MMA fight against Brock Lesnar in the WWE. The offer was part of McMahon's plan to revive the professional wrestling business.
Vince McMahon was convinced that if Lesnar could beat the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion at the time, it would catapult the South Dakota native into the upper echelons of stardom. He even approached the Nevada State Athletic Commission to sanction the crossover fight.
However, Lennox Lewis turned down the offer after discovering Lesnar's wrestling pedigree and realizing his opponent would have a massive advantage over him in an MMA fight.
Instead of fighting Lesnar, Lewis defeated future world champion Vitali Klitschko in 2003 to end his spectacular career.
When Brock Lesnar opened up about his most valuable sporting achievement
Earlier this year, Brock Lesnar reflected on his incredible career in combat sports and opened up about the one sporting achievement he valued the most.
After earning his flowers in the WWE, Lesnar paused his wrestling career to become an NFL athlete in 2004. He played for the Minnesota Vikings and represented them in several pre-season games. After being released from the Vikings, Lesnar signed with the UFC and made his debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81 in February 2008. Lesnar lost the fight via first-round submission.
After his dismal debut, Brock Lesnar went on an impressive four-fight win streak during which he captured the UFC heavyweight title by defeating Randy Couture via second-round TKO. He defended the title twice before losing it to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in October 2010.
However, the UFC heavyweight championship wasn't Lesnar's dearest achievement. During an interview with Daniel Cormier in April, Lesnar revealed that his NCAA titles were his most valued victories, stating:
"I think I'm proud of them all, but I think the one that I hold near and dear to my heart is my NCAA titles... My junior college title and my NCAA title because that tenure and that run to try to get to the top was so long and so agonizing."
Catch Lesnar's comments below (12:30):