Lennox Lewis

1965-

British boxer

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lennox Lewis was the boxing heavyweight champion of the world. He was Great Britain's first heavyweight champion since 1897 when he became the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion in 1993. After not posting a loss in his 109 amateur bouts, Lewis had a professional record of 40-2-1 through 2002. While Lewis had a great right, he often played it safe in fights, which drew criticism from observers who believed that he never unleashed his full potential as a boxer.

Lewis was born on September 2, 1965 in the East End of London, the son of Violet Lewis and her then boyfriend Carlton Brooks. Both were natives of Jamaica. Lewis's father worked in an auto plant, but was not involved in the upbringing of Lewis or his older brother Dennis. Lewis was raised in tough, working class neighborhoods.

When he was nine years old, Lewis moved with his mother to Canada. After a year or so, he went back to England to live with an aunt. In the two years he spent in England, he began getting in trouble, picking fights, among other problems. His mother brought him back to Canada when he was twelve years old, where he spent the rest of his youth.

Introduced to Boxing

While Lewis's mother worked in a Styrofoam factory, he attended schools in Kitchener, Ontario. A hyperactive child, he began getting into fights in Canada as well. Lewis told Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated, "That's when I became a fighter. All the kids made fun of my accent, and I punched out the lot. After my third strapping with the belt, my teacher advised I take my aggressions out in sport."

In 1978, Lewis had his first amateur bout. He calmed down, and learned to love boxing. He told William Nack of Sports Illustrated, "I liked it. It was ego against ego. Both looking at each other all the time. A chess game. The oneon-one is what appealed to me about boxing." Lewis was growing so large that he boxed against boys older than him.

In high school, however, Lewis did not just box. While attending Cameron Heights Collegiate High, he played fullback on football team, power forward on basketball team, and did track as a shot-putter. But boxing was his focus after a while, and Lewis was a big fan of Muhammad Ali.

Success as Amateur Boxer

Throughout his successful amateur career, Lewis was coached by Arnie Boehm and Adrian Teodorescu.

Boehm was particularly influential in Lewis's development as a boxer and a man. By the early 1980s, Lewis was gaining a reputation as an impressive boxer. In 1983, he won gold medals at both the Canada Winter Games and the World Junior Championships. That led to Lewis being named athlete of the year in Canada in 1983.

Lewis won a number of major tournaments. He captured gold at the National Senior Championships in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987, and at the Commonwealth Games in 1986 and the Pan Am games in 1987. He was the Canadian Super Heavyweight champion every year from 1984 to 1988. In 1988, Lewis represented Canada at the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, as a super heavyweight. He won the gold medal by defeating Riddick Bowe in the second round by knockout. At the end of his amateur career, Lewis had won all 109 of his bouts.

Turned Professional as a Boxer

In 1989, Lewis turned professional, but instead of remaining in Canada, he returned to Great Britain. He did this, in part, because a group of British backers, including manager Frank Maloney, gave him big signing bonus. There were also accusations that he was being used in Canada and his boxing career was not moving forward. Lewis also picked up a new trainer, American John Davenport, who emphasized the athleticism of the 6'5", 230 lbs boxer.

Lewis's first professional fight was against Al Malcolm on June 27, 1989, in London. Lewis won in the second round. He soon dominated the competition in Europe. In 1990, he became European heavyweight champion by defeating Jean Chanet. In 1991, he defeated Gary Mason by TKO to become British heavyweight champion. The fight ended Mason's career, though it was not much of a bout.

Many of Lewis's early fights were not unlike the Mason fight. Most of his first sixteen fights were with unworthy competition, like 39-year-old former WBA (World Boxing Association) champion Mike Weaver, whom Lewis knocked out in the sixth round. These fights brought Lewis little respect in the boxing community, but his handlers wanted to start him slowly.

Lewis had undeniable talent. He was not just a fighter, but a great boxer and great puncher. While his knockout punch was his right, he also had a strong jab. Though his competition had not been strong, Lewis had attracted enough attention to get a two-fight deal with HBO and three-fight pay per view deal with Time Warner in 1991.

In February 1992, Lewis was pushed to the full ten rounds in a fight against Levi Billups. This led to a change in trainers, as Lewis felt he had become a very mechanical fighter. He hired Sugar Ray Leonard 's trainer Pepe Correa. Correa was in Lewis's corner as Lewis was inching near to contending for a world heavyweight title.

Won First Professional Title

In 1992, Lewis defeated Donovan Ruddock, making him the best challenger for a world heavyweight champion. Lewis had been an underdog in the fight, but Lewis knocked Ruddock down once in the first round and twice in round two. While Lewis did become a champion, he did not have to fight for it.

Chronology

In December 1992, World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe (who defeated Evander Holyfield to win the belt) refused to fight Lewis, except for what the Lewis camp considered an absurdly low amount of money, and had the WBC belt taken from him—Bowe did retain the WBA and IBF (International Boxing Federation) titles. Bowe literally threw the belt in the trash in a media spectacle. Though Lewis obtained the championship in an unconventional matter, he became a national hero in Great Britain. The last British heavyweight champion was Ruby Robert Fitzsimmons in 1897. Lewis then signed a four-fight deal with Time Warner Sports.

In May 1993, Lewis had his first fight in defense of his WBC tile. He defeated Tony Tucker by unanimous decision after knocking him down twice in twelve rounds. Later that year he also knocked out fellow Brit Frank Bruno in the seventh round in another defense of his title. In 1994, Lewis defeated Phil Jackson by technical knockout in the eighth round. Despite these victories, Lewis still did not have much professional respect among fighters, especially in the United States, and he found it hard to get Americans to fight him.

Lost WBC Title

Lewis's reputation as a boxer took a big hit in 1994 when he lost his WBC title to Oliver McCall in an upset. Lewis wanted the fight, but lost by technical knockout. McCall was the underdog, and a former sparring partner of heavyweight champion Mike Tyson . McCall got Lewis with his use of a quick overhand right.

For his next fights, Lewis looked to put himself in a position to be eligible at another shot at a heavyweight title and perhaps at a fight with Tyson. He again switched trainers, hiring the legendary Emanuel Steward, who trained a number of winning boxers, in 1995. Steward added more punches to Lewis's repertoire including a left hook, uppercuts, and the jab, but could not give Lewis the aggression many fight experts believed Lewis lacked.

To be eligible for a chance at the title, Lewis fought Ray Mercer in 1996. Though Lewis won by split decision, many who saw the fight did not believe that he deserved the victory. One judge scored it as a draw, while the other two gave it to Lewis by a small margin.

Lewis's next goal was WBC heavyweight champion Tyson. A deal could not be reached between the boxers, and Tyson gave up the belt rather than fight Lewis. Lewis sued him to force a fight, but it did not happen. Lewis then regained the WBC title by defeating McCall in 1996.

In 1997, Lewis defended his WBC title by defeating Andrew Golota. Lewis only took thirty-six punches in the first round to win. He knocked Golota down twice before knocking him out. This was one of his best fights, showing Lewis's power. Richard Hoffer wrote in Sports Illustrated, "Lewis's swarming knockout of challenger Golota was so swift and conclusive that it was impossible not to be encouraged by his emergence as a force in the sport." This fight gave Lewis the test that he needed and his British handlers had avoided. He also defended his WBC title by defeating Shannon Briggs and Zelijko Mavrovic in 1998.

Controversial Fight with Holyfield

In early 1999, Lewis faced the biggest challenge of his career to that point when he fought IBF and WBA titleholder Evander Holyfield in a title unification bout. Their March fight was extremely controversial. The judges ruled the twelve rounds a draw, though most observers believed that Lewis defeated Holyfield easily and cleanly with Lewis connecting on 348 punches while Holyfield only managed 130. The crowd at the Madison Square Garden match booed the decision, and the sanctioning bodies ordered a rematch within six months.

Won Unified Titles

Lewis fought Holyfield again in November 1999, and this time, he won the fight to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. Lewis won by decision over twelve rounds, and while many believed that he out-fought Holyfield, there was some division among ringside observers. Lewis used his tactical abilities to win, instead of fighting, and was criticized for not knocking Holyfield out. As Hoffer wrote in Sports Illustrated, "Lewis seems to be a guy who, above all, doesn't want to get knocked out. He's not a coward, or else he wouldn't have achieved what he has, and he has fought bravely when he has had to. He's just too particular, too fastidious to give into any unnecessary abandon."

Lewis defended his unified title a number of times, defeating Michael Grant, Francois Botha, and David Tua in 2000. Defeating Grant was a significant victory. It was the first time Lewis beat someone taller than himself, with Grant at 6'7". Lewis beat him by knockout in second round, after dropping him in three times in first round. The fight showed Lewis's greatness and ability to dominate, and improved his reputation as a boxer. Though over thirty-four, he had finally found his way.

Related Biography: Trainer Arnie Boehm

Arnie Boehm was Lennox Lewis's trainer during the whole of his amateur career. Boehm guided Lewis from childhood to his Olympic gold medal to the end of his amateur career, acting as a father figure to the young boxer. Boehm himself had been a boxer and trained with Jerome "Hook" McComb, a police officer who founded the Waterloo Regional Boxing Academy in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Boehm also learned how to train boxers from McComb, and later ran the Waterloo Academy himself after 1981. In addition to guiding his boxers in the ring, he also encouraged them to lead productive lives. Lewis was arguably the best fighter trained by Boehm, though he did train three other Olympians and twenty-four national champions. He died of a heart attack at his gym in October 2002.

Lost Unified Titles

Lewis suffered the second defeat of his professional career when he had a title defense fight against Hasam Rahman in South Africa in April 2001. Rahman was a 20-1 underdog in his second title fight ever. Lewis essentially

did not take the fight seriously enough. Lewis did not train that hard and came to the bout at his highest fighting weight ever. Rahman knocked out Lewis in the fifth round. This was a bad loss for Lewis, and negatively affected his reputation.

The rematch between Rahman and Lewis came seven months later, and Lewis had something to prove. He used his devastating right after a combination in the fourth round to knockout Rahman. Though he won, even his trainer Steward believed Lewis did not live up to his potential in this fight. Hoffer wrote in Sports Illustrated, "He is not a man who seems inclined to realize his immense potential, but past disappointments—his often overly cautious style in victories has been ever more damning than his knockout defeats—will dim in the reflection of this powerful win."

Defeated Tyson

Lewis again showed his power as a fighter when he finally got the chance to fight Tyson in June 2002. Lewis had wanted this fight for years, but Tyson had avoided him. The pair even got into a scuffle at the press conference announcing the fight in February 2002. Tyson charged Lewis and bit him in the leg. The fight took place at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee, because Tyson had problems getting a license elsewhere. Lewis dominated the fight, the first in which Tyson was an underdog. He knocked Tyson out in the eighth round, though he could have done it earlier in the fight.

Awards and Accomplishments

After the victory, Lewis was left with a problem. He was arguably the best heavyweight fighter but had no real competition except to fight Tyson again and was an enigma who did not draw many boxing fans. He was forced to give up his IBF belt in September 2002 because the challenger they picked, Chris Byrd, would not be challenging. Lewis was scheduled to fight Vitali Klitschko, a Ukrainian, in the United States in April 2003, then Klitschko's brother, Wladimir, and perhaps Tyson again, then retire. After the Tyson fight in 2002, Hoffer wrote in Sports Illustrated, "He avenged those defeats [McCall and Rahman], his attention restored, and now with this fight he must be recognized as a pretty powerful performer. If Lewis retired now—and that's possible, as he seems at long last to have cleaned out the division—he need not apologize for his departure."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Office of Lennox Lewis, Gainsborough House, 81 Oxford St., London W1D 2EU England. Online: www.lennox-lewis.com.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Page, James. Black Olympian Medalists. Englewood, CO: 1991.

Parry, Melanie, ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Chambers, 1997.

Periodicals

Associated Press (October 10, 2002).

"Boxing: IBF Axed by Lewis." Birmingham Evening Mail (September 6, 2002): 83.

"Boxing: Lewis Lines Up Title Defence in US Vitali Klitschko." Birmingham Evening Mail (December 21, 2002): 45.

"Boxing: Lewis Plans Next Attack After Tyson." Birmingham Evening Mail (December 24, 2002): 50.

Dettmer, Jamie. "Fighting Expectations." Insight on the News (June 3, 1996): 37.

"The Doctor is a Champ." Jet (December 27, 1999): 50.

Eskenazi, Gerald. "Lennox Lewis Is a Man on a Mission." New York Times (May 6, 1994): B14.

Friend, Tom. "No One Knows Him, Except Her Majesty." New York Times (May 8, 1993): section 1, p. 31.

Gildea, William. "Boxers and History Collide in New York." Washington Post (March 12, 1999): D3.

Gildea, William. "In Vegas, No Laying a Globe on Lewis." Washington Post (May 6, 1993): B1.

"Heavyweight champion Lewis hints at retirement." Associated Press (August 4, 2002).

Hoffer, Richard. "Bad Hair Day." Sports Illustrated (November 20, 2000): 48.

Hoffer, Richard. "Drawn and Cornered." Sports Illustrated (October 13, 1997): 68.

Hoffer, Richard. "Grand Larceny." Sports Illustrated (March 22, 1999): 60.

Hoffer, Richard. "Hard Rocked." Sports Illustrated (April 30, 2001): 36.

Hoffer, Richard. "Hitting It Big." Sports Illustrated (May 8, 2000): 44.

Hoffer, Richard. "It Takes Tua to Tango." Sports Illustrated (November 13, 2000): 48.

Hoffer, Richard. "Lights Out." Sports Illustrated (June 17, 2002): 50.

Hoffer, Richard. "Payback." Sports Illustrated (November 26, 2001): 40.

Hoffer, Richard. "Redefining Moment." Sports Illustrated (November 15, 1999): 54.

Hoffer, Richard. "Triumph of Timidity." Sports Illustrated (November 22, 1999): 60.

"Holyfield-Lewis Heavyweight Championship Bout Ends in Controversial Draw." Jet (March 29, 1999): 51.

"Lennox Lewis Cements His Legacy After Beating Mike Tyson for Heavyweight Championships." Jet (June 24, 2002): 52.

"Lennox Lewis regains titles in 4th-round KO of Rahman in Vegas." Jet (December 10, 2001): 46.

"Lewis defends WBC crown." Jet (May 23, 1994): 51.

"Lewis Stops Botha in Second Round." Jet (August 7, 2000): 48.

Nack, William. "The great Brit hope." Sports Illustrated (February 1, 1993): 38.

"Pre-fight brawl." Jet (February 11, 2002): 50.

Putnam, Pat. "Bloody poor show." Sports Illustrated (October 11, 1993): 36.

Putnam, Pat. "The champ who fights chumps." Sports Illustrated (October 28, 1991): 102.

Putnam, Pat. "Good show!." Sports Illustrated (November 9, 1992): 102.

Putnam, Pat. "Lennox Lewis." Sports Illustrated (May 17, 1993): 58.

Remnick, David. "The MORalist." New Yorker (July 1, 2002).

"Tyson gives up WBC crown." Jet (October 14, 1996): 46.

Williams, David et al. "Lewis: It's Rematch or Retirement." Commercial Appeal (July 13, 2002): D1.

Other

"Arnie Boehm." theloxx.com. http://theloxx.com/ArnieBoehm/default.htm (January 5, 2003).

"Boxing legend Arnie Boehm dies." The Record.com. http://www.therecord.com/cgi-bin/PFP.cgi?doc=news/obituaries (January 5, 2003).

Sketch by A. Petruso