'I'm one of only five men to beat Mike Tyson - he wasn't even my toughest opponent'

might once have been notoriously known as 'the baddest man on the planet' but he wasn't everybody's most formidable opponent. The youngest ever heavyweight boxing world champion fought 58 times in his iconic career, only losing on six occasions.

One of those came against one of the very best British boxers of all time in Lennox Lewis.

The pair's only clash came in 2002 in Tennessee when Lewis, who was putting all four belts in his division on the line, knocked out the American with a devastating right hook in the eighth round.

It was up there with one of the British icon's most memorable displays, but according to the man himself, not his hardest task. Three years prior to facing Tyson, Lewis had back-to-back fights with Evander Holyfield, with the opportunity to unify the heavyweight division on the line.

Their first contest at Madison Square Garden controversially ended in a draw, despite Lewis appearing to dominate proceedings. He righted the wrong in the rematch though, taking a unanimous decision against the man dubbed 'The Real Deal'.

And in an Instagram post, the 59-year-old has explained why Holyfield was the most difficult opponent he'd ever faced. "People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them Holyfield was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was Ray Mercer," he wrote.

"That's a lot of experience and it's safe to say that by the time we met for the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1999, he had seen it all. When you combine Evander's amateur and professional experience, you would be hard pressed not to see the kind of success he's had in the ring.

"I may tease him a bit on our two fights, he knows I won both fights even though he won't admit it. But in all seriousness, he's the only man that has gone 24 rounds with me."

Lewis also cited Holyfield previously being crowned undisputed champion at cruiserweight level, labelling him the "best ever" in that weight class. And for what it's worth, Tyson, who returns to professional boxing this weekend in his clash with , seemingly agrees.

And he too has previously hailed Holyfield as his hardest opponent, hailing his dedication as well as his in-ring ability. "Great champion - chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour," he said.

Aside from Lewis and Holyfield, Tyson also suffered losses to James 'Buster' Douglas, Danny Williams, and Irish journeyman Kevin McBride. The latter fight in 2005 was initially his last as a professional, with the 58-year-old retiring immediately afterwards until his pro fight with Paul this weekend.