Lewis v Holyfield Round by Round

ROUND ONE: Both men look focused and mean at the opening bell. Lewis connects first, with a good left hook. Holyfield misses with a wild left hook and Lewis finds the centre of the ring, flicking out his jab. Lewis complains about Holyfield's head then connects with a short right as Holyfield comes close. Lewis clearly wins the first round.

ROUND ONE: Both men look focused and mean at the opening bell. Lewis connects first, with a good left hook. Holyfield misses with a wild left hook and Lewis finds the centre of the ring, flicking out his jab. Lewis complains about Holyfield's head then connects with a short right as Holyfield comes close. Lewis clearly wins the first round.

ROUND TWO: Holyfield continues to attempt to negate Lewis' huge size advantage by coming close, but Lewis responds with a right uppercut. Lewis' counter-punching strategy is largely working with jabs but Holyfield gets through with a body shot.

ROUND THREE: Lewis starts with a big three-punch combination as he settles into his steady, effective rhythm. Holyfield is still finding it hard to get through with Lewis' jabs keeping him at bay. Holyfield connects with a right hook in the last half-minute to stir the largely pro-Evander crowd, and the round ends with both men punching in close.

ROUND FOUR: Holyfield enjoys more success with his right hand and Lewis begins slightly swelling under his left eye. Lewis reasserts himself with his stiff jab and takes the round again.

ROUND FIVE: Holyfield starts the fifth with a booming left hook, the best punch of the fight so far. Lewis hits back and this time Holyfield complains over use of the head. Lewis connects with a right hand and the pair tangle, almost falling over the ropes and out of the ring. Lewis has a cut over his right eye, ruled accidental by referee Mitch Halpern. Holyfield leaps in with another left hook which narrowly misses. Holyfield is having more success and gaining in confidence.

ROUND SIX: Holyfield continues to have more success going forward as Lewis' jabs prove less frequent. Holyfield himself begins jabbing. Lewis responds with a right hand but looks lethargic in this round. Holyfield appears to have taken the psychological advantage.

ROUND SEVEN: Lewis starts fast but Holyfield is angered when he is knocked by Lewis' elbow as they break from a clinch. Lewis gets his combinations together while Holyfield finds the angles with his single shots. Holyfield rocks Lewis with a left hook, a right hand and another left hook. The Briton is in trouble and Holyfield finds a right then a left hand which leaves Lewis in desperate trouble. He stays on his feet as Holyfield moves in for the finish, connecting with a right. The bell saves Lewis further punishment.

ROUND EIGHT: Lewis seems to have regained his composure for a minute before Holyfield connects with another left hook. Lewis hits back with a short uppercut and a body shot. Lewis jabs at him but Holyfield comes forward and connects with another left.

ROUND NINE: Holyfield fires out immediately with a right hook. Lewis is just pawing out his jab with little effect. Lewis, who is beginning to stand and trade with Holyfield, connects with a right uppercut in close. Holyfield hits back with a double jab and hook. All the sharpest punches are coming from the American.

ROUND 10: Lewis does some good inside work early and, in this round, he is landing with cleaner counter-punchers. Holyfield walks onto a left hook then a powerful right uppercut right on the bell.

ROUND 11: Holyfield bounces up with a left hook but Lewis is scoring with good body shots and appears to be wresting back control of the fight. He is starting to use the jab again and repelling Holyfield's advances. He is pushing Holyfield back and the American has a swelling on his left cheek.

ROUND 12: Holyfield, needing a big round, connects early with two good hooks. Lewis responds with a right hand but Holyfield hits back with a top-quality left hook. Lewis is looking tired with his mouth open but he maintains his poise and sees out the round.

Lewis crowned Britain's first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the century after unanimously outscoring Holyfield on points.

Lewis was a comfortable winner on all three cards, yet ringside opinion made the fight much closer than the officials reckoned.

Judge Jerry Roth scored it the closest 115-113, while Chuck Giampa carded 116-112, and the third Nevada official Bob Graham had it 117-111.

That momentous and historic victory earned Lewis the WBA and IBF crowns to add to his WBC belt.