However, it quickly became apparent that this was not the case as at the end of the round, McCall refused to return to his corner.
He occasionally engaged for a brief moment, before then withdrawing and starting to wander off to a different portion of the ring while his bemused opponent pursued him. McCall shook his head as if he no longer wanted to continue, prompting referee Mills Lane to pause the bout and ask what was going on.
The desolate fighter appeared to be on the brink of tears during the conversation. He shook his head again, then nodded, and remarkably the fight resumed.
Boos rained down from the crowd and again, McCall refused to go back to his corner for the interval. McCall was no longer on the brink of tears. He broke down completely and started crying as he stood wandering around the ring. Lewis decided that the best way to get back on track was to hire the man who had masterminded his downfall. McCall, meanwhile, shed further tears after pulling off the upset.
He successfully defended the belt against veteran Larry Holmes, but a return trip to Britain in saw him defeated on points against Frank Bruno. The WBC strap was up for grabs again, only this time neither man was defending it.
Mike Tyson had vacated the title rather than face Lewis, opting to pursue a bout with Evander Holyfield instead. McCall had recorded easy wins over Oleg Maskaev and James Stanton prior to the second meeting, but his career had been hampered by stints in rehab. He was also arrested in December after throwing a Christmas tree in a hotel lobby in Tennessee, leading to him being charged with vandalism, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Lewis, meanwhile, looked vastly improved under Steward. The new partnership had won four on the spin, with The Lion primed for a chance at redemption at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. In an unusual act, McCall ran to the ring. It was an entrance more akin to WWE wrestling than boxing.
There was no crying to get emotionally tuned in this time, just a sprint to get proceedings started. For the opening two rounds, Lewis was in complete control. Wary of the right hand that had ended his first reign just under three years earlier, he kept his distance and worked well behind the jab.
McCall refused to go to his corner after the third round and just walked around the ring. FROM there on the fight became extremely bizarre. McCall, although covering up well, only threw two punches in the fourth. When the bell sounded, after being guided to the corner by the ref, the American fighter started crying profusely. Those around him were baffled as to what was going on. HIS corner let him go out for the fifth — perhaps because McCall had been known to cry during his ring walks — but this time the emotionally unstable McCall could only manage to throw one punch.
Referee Mills Lane then waved the fight off after 55 seconds, handing Lewis, as confused as anyone, the victory. On Feb. Through two rounds, the fight seemed relatively normal with Lennox having a slight advantage. Then came Round 3. Beginning with the third round, McCall was lifeless. Instead, he wandered around the ring as if he was lost. After the fourth round, McCall was seen weeping.
In the fifth, Mills stopped the fight. He was referring to a tactic Muhammad Ali once used on George Foreman when Ali leaned on the ropes and made Foreman tire himself out with punches. I came to win.
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