Lennox Lewis ‘rejected’ £5m offer from Vince McMahon for huge crossover match with UFC and WWE icon Brock Lesnar

10 months ago 73

LENNOX LEWIS once turned down £5million from the WWE to face Brock Lesnar in a crossover match.

The year was 2002 and Lesnar was on his rise as a future WWE superstar while Lewis was the world heavyweight boxing champion.

Lesnar was WWE champion by 25[/caption]

And there were talks for the two to meet in the ring with Vince McMahon even going to the Nevada Athletic Commission for sanctioning.

But according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lewis rejected it after finding out about Lesnar’s real grappling experience.

The former undisputed heavyweight king did open up about the negotiations in a 2015 interview with TSN’s Off The Record.

He revealed he was offered £5m but claimed he had to wear gloves while Lesnar would not have.

Asked if he considered the offer, Lewis said: “Very seriously, until they said he wasn’t wearing gloves.

“They wanted to put me in with gloves on.”

It is not clear whether the match would have been scripted or a legitimate fight.

Lewis went onto retire from boxing in 2004 after defeating Vitali Klitschko a year prior.

Meanwhile, Lesnar was WWE champ by 25 in 2002 and later turned to MMA, where he won the UFC title.

He had nine fights in the cage – with his last in 2016 – and continues in the WWE to this day.

Lesnar has been linked to a UFC return but his last fight against Mark Hunt ended in controversy after he tested positive for banned substances.

Lesnar has not fought since 2016[/caption]