I fought Lennox Lewis but his Mike Tyson victory his greatest moment in the ring

They were thumping rivals who became great friends and so it somehow seemed appropriate that they met up again where it all started. Lennox Lewis is not only Britain's most awesome world champion but one of the best heavyweights to ever have walked this planet while Glenn McCrory remains Tyneside's only ever holder of a world title.

Thirty four years ago in March of 1990 they came together at Gateshead Leisure Centre when an Olympian golden boy was on the undercard of a McCrory world title fight. Crippled by having to boil down to make the weight, Glenn sacrificed his precious IBF world cruiser crown to Jeff Lampkin while Lennox comprehensively won his eighth paid bout knocking out Calvin Jones in the blink of an eye.

After only two more bouts McCrory himself was taken out by Lewis at London's Royal Albert Hall in September of 1991 with Lennox's British and European heavy titles on offer. The grand reunion came about back at the Gateshead Leisure Centre where Lewis was appearing as part of his current British tour.

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"It was truly wonderful to meet up with Lennox again," Glenn told me. "We have a lot of history together and he treated me like a brother. It was poignant that we got together at exactly the same venue where he was on my undercard.

"I had become the North East's first world champion by defeating Patrick Lumumba and then stopping Siza Makathini but weight was becoming more and more of a problem because of my lack of a proper trainer and dietician. The limit in my days was 13st 8lb whereas now it's almost a stone heavier at 14st 4lb.

"I only went on to fight Lennox to pay the tax man. I had fallen out of love with boxing having been ripped off by successive managers but had received a huge bill I couldn't afford so I called him out at the Boxing Writers' dinner in London. He was obviously far too big and heavy for me - I was a big cruiser but a small heavyweight. I was taking my life in my hands! We had a good laugh about it the other night."

How great was Lennox Lewis? As great as it gets, maintains McCrory, and facts back up Glenn's gracious assessment. A giant of a man, Lewis won 41 of his 44 fights drawing another in becoming a three-time world champion who was at one time officially undisputed king of the heavies holding all the belts. His two losses to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman were down to taking both fights too lightly and were ruthlessly reversed making LL the only heavyweight in history to avenge all his in-ring defeats.

He smashed the likes of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Frank Bruno, Tommy Tucker, Tommy Morrison, Shannon Briggs, David Tua and Vitali Klitschko to establish his place in boxing's hall of fame.

"Honestly I rate him up there with Muhammad Ali," insisted McCrory. "He beat the best of his time and but for his two losses, which were only because he didn't take them seriously enough and were easily avenged, he would be undisputed. His biggest opponent was himself - he was so laid back. However anger him and he would destroy you. He was simply too big for people - he would have overpowered Rocky Marciano for example."

Of course the dreadlocks have gone, the head is bald and the beard snowy white but Lewis still walks with the air of a champion. He is 59 now, McCrory 60 and they have spent the last 34 years bumping into each other a lot.

McCrory smiled as recalled their journey together: "I covered literally all of Lennox's world title fights during a 27-year career with Sky TV and have so many memories.

"I first sat behind a mike for Sky to commentate on Lewis only three months after winning my world title. He was due to fight Proud Kilmanjaro at Crystal Palace but the big African refused to tell the British Boxing Board the results of a HIV test he had undergone and consequently was not allowed to box. The Zambian authorities went on to withdraw his license and he died a few years later from an AIDS related illness at the age of 36. Instead Lennox fought Andrew Gerrard who I had beaten twice."

So which was the best Lewis world title fight he witnessed ringside? "Oh, probably Mike Tyson in Memphis in June of 2002. It wasn't the original Tyson but he was still a handful. Lennox knocked him out in eight. The trip was good too - I saw Jerry Lee Lewis live and eventually brought him to the City Hall in Newcastle for a concert and flew home on Concorde!

"However the stand-out fights I guess were against Holyfield. Lewis won the first one by a country mile but it was controversially declared a draw when British judge Larry McConnell of all people sat on the fence. I told him he had made a mistake straight afterwards. The first meeting was at Madison Square Gardens but before 1999 was out they met up again in Nevada and Lewis took a unanimous points verdict though I thought it was closer than the original scrap."

British boxing history makers who spanned a 34-year gap were together again on the south bank of the Tyne at Gateshead. Brothers in arms one more time.