MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In January, Mike Tyson took a bite out of Lennox Lewis' thigh. Last night, against Lewis, Tyson simply bit off more than he could chew.
Tyson had vowed to "kill" Lewis and "spread his pompous brains all over the ring when I hit him."
Instead, Tyson was beaten bloody and senseless as the British world champion dominated throughout before scoring an eighth-round knockout at the Pyramid.
In successfully defending his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation crowns, Lewis, 36, denied Tyson, 35, a chance to become the heavyweight division's fourth three-time champion.
By 2:25 of the eighth round, when he was counted out, Tyson's eyes were nearly shut. Blood flowed from his nose as he ate right hands and a steady diet of jabs and was forced to munch on some brutal uppercuts and hooks.
"This guy bit me, and I told the world he would get some discipline for that," said Lewis, who rocked Tyson with a left-right combination early in the eighth round, and finished him with a paralyzing, straight right hand similar to the one that sliced open a gash over Tyson's forehead in the January news conference.
Only this time, Tyson, who fell to his back and rolled over to one knee near Lewis' corner, could not get up. He rose but couldn't beat the count, as referee Eddie Cotton waved an end to the fight at the 2:25 mark.
Lewis (40-2-1, 31 knockouts), who is England's first heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons in the 1800s, cemented his legacy by vanquishing Tyson (49-4, 2 no-contests) before an announced crowd of 15,327.
"Trainer Emanuel [Steward] told me to take him out early. He was pleading with me," said Lewis, who landed more total punches (193-49) and jabs (109-20) in what was perhaps the most dominating performance by Lewis since his second-round knockout of Francois Botha in July 2000.
All three judges' scorecards had it 69-64 for Lewis, who won every round but the first and the fourth, with the latter being ruled a draw because Cotton ruled Lewis had pushed Tyson to the floor.
"Mike came over and apologized and told me that I was a masterful boxer and asked for a rematch," Lewis said.
"I thought Mike Tyson was going to behave himself. There were too many people watching. I wasn't going to give him a good reason to bite me. I started using my jab, and I watched him. He started ducking. He hit me with one good left hook, but all that taught me was to keep my hands up."
Tyson was beaten badly but showed some concern for Lewis after the fight, wiping blood off Lewis' cheek as they answered questions in the ring.
"He's a magnificent fighter, a prolific fighter, and he should continue fighting," Tyson said. "I love him and respect him too much to do something to him."
He and Lewis each made about $20 million for the fight.
Tyson came into the fight with only 18 rounds in the ring since biting Evander Holyfield five years ago. During that time, Lewis was in 12 title fights, winning all except for a fluke punch by Baltimore's Hasim Rahman and a disputed draw with Holyfield.
The ring rust showed. Tyson appeared confused every time Lewis backed him up with the jab. He said after his last fight that he needed two more fights to get ready for Lewis, but claimed after 160 rounds of sparring that he was ready to beat him.
"I'm so happy he gave me a chance," Tyson said. "Nobody wanted to give me a chance. Don King wouldn't give me a chance. Nobody would give me a chance. I hope he'll give me the chance again."
Lewis said he might, though his performance was so dominating that it could be a tough fight to sell again unless Tyson had some other impressive fights in between.
"I just want to complete my legacy," Lewis said. "I wanted to prove I was the best fighter in the world."
The fight was supposed to be one of the richest ever, generating nearly $100 million in revenue. Ticket sales were slow because they were priced as high as $2,400, but the crowd of 15,327 turned up at the Pyramid Arena to see the biggest sporting event ever in the city.
Tyson was trying to become a three-time champion, something Lewis already accomplished when he won the IBF and WBC titles back from Rahman with a knockout Nov. 17. But he hadn't fought well against a top opponent since beating Razor Ruddock in 1991 and there were as many questions about his eroding ring skills as his antics outside the ring.
According to USA Today, contracts for Lewis-Tyson allow Lewis to take an interim fight against the IBF's No. 1 contender, Chris Byrd, no later than mid-December. If he beats Byrd, Lewis must fight Tyson again, even if it means giving up his titles. Tyson also is allowed an interim fight before the rematch, which goes 60-40 in Lewis' favor.
The revenue split for the fight is 50-50 between HBO, which is contracted to Lewis, and Showtime, which is contracted to Tyson.
The taller fighter by seven inches, the 6-foot-5 Lewis was born in London of Jamaican parents. He won an Olympic gold medal for Canada but considers himself a British citizen. Yet in spite of his accomplishments, Lewis still felt he needed to earn worldwide respect with a victory over Tyson.