THE STORY
In December 1992, after defeating Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, Riddick Bowe refused to defend his WBC title against mandatory challenger Lennox Lewis. At a press conference in London, Bowe threw the WBC belt into a trash can, leading the WBC to strip him of the title and award it to Lewis.
TEAMS / PEOPLE:
Riddick Bowe
WHY IT MATTERS
This incident led to the fragmentation of the heavyweight championship, as Bowe retained the WBA and IBF titles, while Lewis became the WBC champion, creating two parallel heavyweight titleholders.