Remember that time Mike Tyson said he would eat Lennox Lewis' kids?

This article is part of a new series by FanSided MMA honoring milestones and memories from the past. Watch for a new flashback feature every Thursday.

Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson was one of the biggest boxing matches of the 21st century. It occurred in June 2022 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, Lewis was the unified heavyweight champion who held titles for the WBC, IBF, IBO, and the Ring. Tyson once had all those titles until he lost by knockout in a shocking upset to Buster Douglas in February 1990. Over the years, as he won and lost some, Tyson eventually worked his way to a major fight where he could win back all his old titles.

After the Douglas loss, Tyson went on an eight-fight winning streak, with six knockouts over different heavyweight contenders. That led to the start of a legendary rivalry with Evander Holyfield. Another upset was pulled as Holyfield stopped Tyson in the 11th round in a war in November 1996, winning the WBA heavyweight title from Tyson. In June 1997, an immediate rematch produced one of the craziest moments in combat sports history. As Holyfield was winning the rematch, Tyson bit Holyfield's ear twice and he received major consequences. Tyson lost by disqualification, had his boxing license revoked, and was fined millions of dollars.

Tyson eventually got his boxing license reinstated after 15 months and then, he got a fifth-round knockout victory over Francois Botha in January 1999. Following that comeback victory, Tyson had a No Contest against Orlin Norris due to a foul and a second-round knockout win over Julius Francis. After knocking out Lou Savarese 38 seconds into the first round in June 2000, Tyson produced yet another controversial moment. After starting his post-fight interview humbly as he paid respect to his dead friend, Tyson called out Lewis, gave a cocky description of his skills, and mentioned wanting to eat Lewis' children. That was a psychotic desire to publicly state, especially because Lewis did not even have children at the time. The saying did at least add hype to a future showdown between the two heavyweight superstars.

Flashback to an iconic Mike Tyson interview

For some reason, Tyson had to win more to earn his undisputed shot at Lewis. Tyson initially had a third-round stoppage victory over Andrew Golota in October 2000, but that turned into a No Contest after a failed drug test. He returned to action in October 2001, where he won a sixth-round stoppage against Brian Nielsen. That finally became enough to secure an undisputed title shot against Lewis. The fight received more hype as Lewis and Tyson had a brawl at a press conference, leading to the original date of April 2002 being canceled due to Tyson losing his boxing license there. Several states refused to let Tyson box in different places until Memphis, Tennessee finally stepped up.

June 2022 was when all the talking finally came to an end as Lewis vs. Tyson was a massive show hosted by HBO and Showtime, where many celebrities were in attendance. Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Britney Spears, and Clint Eastwood were among the most notable names in attendance. The first round was extremely competitive, but Tyson ultimately edged it out in the end. Lewis began taking over for the rest of the fight as he began winning more rounds. Lewis was busting Tyson up as he was out landing while taking some damage himself. He ended up winning by eighth-round knockout against Tyson, as he retained all his titles.

After the Lewis knockout loss, Tyson returned to action in February 2003, knocking out Clifford Etienne 49 seconds into the first round. As age was beginning to catch up, Tyson returned in July 2004, where he got knocked out by Danny Williams in the fourth round. Another year went by, and Tyson was nearly 39 when he returned in June 2005 to face Kevin McBride. McBride's height and reach gave Tyson problems to start, until Tyson eventually found a way to close the distance. Tyson eventually gassed out due to the bigger McBride using the clinch effectively, leading to a sixth-round stoppage over Tyson. Tyson ended up announcing his retirement after the fight due to feeling his heart was not in the sport anymore.

Ever since the professional retirement in 2005, Tyson did exhibitions with Corey Sanders in October 2006 and Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. He is currently 58, is in great shape, and can still punch at a good speed. Tyson is currently scheduled to face Jake Paul, a YouTuber boxer, on Nov. 15 at the AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. This will be a professional boxing fight, counting to both fighters' professional records. From saying psychotic trash talk to his opponents in his prime to testing himself in his mid-50s to get into fighting shape, Tyson has shown why he is still so popular in the combat sports world. The highlights of his fighting prime will always be something to remember.