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'''Lennox Claudius Lewis''', [[Order of Canada|CM]], [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (born September 2, 1965) is a retired [[boxing|boxer]] and the most recent [[undisputed champion|undisputed World heavyweight champion]] |
'''Lennox Claudius Lewis''', [[Order of Canada|CM]], [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (born September 2, 1965) is a retired [[boxing|boxer]] and the most recent [[undisputed champion|undisputed World heavyweight champion]]. As an amateur he won gold representing [[Canada]] at the [[Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympic Games]] as an [[amateur boxing|amateur]] after defeating [[Riddick Bowe]] in the final. |
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Professionally, Lewis rose through the rankings and knocked out [[Donovan Ruddock]] to take over the number one position in the [[World Boxing Council]](WBC) rankings and eventually be declared WBC heavyweight champion. He was the undisputed champion after defeating [[Evander Holyfield]] by decision in [[1999]]. Throughout his professional career, Lewis suffered only two losses, both of which he avenged in rematches. Upon retirement in 2003, he had defeated every opponent he had faced. |
Professionally, Lewis rose through the rankings and knocked out [[Donovan Ruddock]] to take over the number one position in the [[World Boxing Council]](WBC) rankings and eventually be declared WBC heavyweight champion. He was the undisputed champion after defeating [[Evander Holyfield]] by decision in [[1999]]. Throughout his professional career, Lewis suffered only two losses, both of which he avenged in rematches. Upon retirement in 2003, he had defeated every opponent he had faced. |
Revision as of 11:58, 8 September 2010
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Born | Lennox Claudius Lewis September 2, 1965 |
Nationality | British/Canadian[1] |
Other names | The Lion |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Reach | 84 in (213 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 44 |
Wins | 41 |
Wins by KO | 32 |
Losses | 2 |
Draws | 1 |
No contests | 0 |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's boxing | ||
Representing ![]() | ||
Olympic Games | ||
![]() |
1988 Seoul | Super heavyweight |
Commonwealth Games | ||
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1986 Edinburgh | Super heavyweight |
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE (born September 2, 1965) is a retired boxer and the most recent undisputed World heavyweight champion. As an amateur he won gold representing Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games as an amateur after defeating Riddick Bowe in the final.
Professionally, Lewis rose through the rankings and knocked out Donovan Ruddock to take over the number one position in the World Boxing Council(WBC) rankings and eventually be declared WBC heavyweight champion. He was the undisputed champion after defeating Evander Holyfield by decision in 1999. Throughout his professional career, Lewis suffered only two losses, both of which he avenged in rematches. Upon retirement in 2003, he had defeated every opponent he had faced.
Along with Muhammad Ali, Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko and Michael Moorer, Lewis is one of only five boxers in history to have won the heavyweight championship three times.
Lewis is 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) tall and has an 84-inch (213 cm) reach, much longer than average for his height. During his boxing prime, he weighed about 250 pounds (113 kg). Lewis often referred to himself as "the pugilist specialist".
Early life
Lewis was born on September 2, 1965, in West Ham, London, England to Jamaican-born parents.[2] At birth he weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces (4.8 kg), and was given the name Lennox by the doctor, who said he looked like a Lennox.[3] Lewis moved to Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 1977 at the age of 12. He attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute for high school, where he excelled in Canadian football, soccer and basketball.[4]
Amateur career
Lewis eventually decided that his favourite sport was boxing. He became a dominant amateur boxer and won the world amateur junior title in 1983.[5]
At the age of 18, Lewis represented Canada as a super heavyweight at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He advanced to the quarter-finals, where he lost a decision to American Tyrell Biggs, the eventual gold medalist.
Lewis chose not to turn professional after the Olympics, and instead fought four more years as an amateur, hoping for a second chance to win a gold medal. After winning several more amateur titles during those years, he travelled to Seoul, South Korea for the 1988 Summer Olympics and achieved his goal. In the gold medal match, Lewis defeated future world champion Riddick Bowe by a second round technical knockout.
Professional boxing career
Having achieved that goal, Lewis declared himself a professional boxer and moved back to his native England. He claimed he'd always considered himself British, but many British fans regard him as "a Canadian at heart and a Briton for convenience", as he had only trained in Canada and the United States and already lived 1/2 his life in North America.[6]
He signed with the boxing promoter Frank Maloney and the early part of his pro career was filled with knockouts of journeymen. After he signed with American promoter Main Event[citation needed] he captured the European heavyweight title late in 1990 against Frenchman Jean Maurice Chanet, added the British heavyweight title in March 1991 and the Commonwealth title in April 1992. By this time, Lewis was a consensus top-five heavyweight in the world. During this period Lewis defeated the unbeaten top ten rated fellow Briton Gary Mason,former WBA World Heavyweight Champion Mike Weaver former Cruiserweight World Champions Glenn McCrory and Osvaldo Ocasio and fringe contenders Levi Billups and Mike Dixon
WBC Champion
On October 31, 1992, Lewis knocked out Canada's Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in two rounds for the No. 1 contender's position in the WBC world rankings. But ultimately, the victory won Lewis even more than that. Undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe refused to fight Lewis and Bowe's WBC title was declared vacant. On January 14, 1993, the WBC declared Lewis its champion, making him the first world heavyweight titleholder from Britain in the 20th century.
Lewis successfully defended the belt three times, defeating Tony Tucker, who was decked (in the 3rd and 9th rounds) for the first time in his career, Phil Jackson and Frank Bruno. The Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight was the first time that two British-born boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title.[7] He suffered a technical knock-out loss at the hands of Oliver McCall on September 24, 1994. In the second round, McCall connected with a powerful right hand to the chin, putting Lewis down on his back. Lewis was up at the count of six, signalling that he wanted to continue, but the referee felt he was dazed and ended the fight. Lewis and others argued that the stoppage was premature and that a champion should be given the benefit of the doubt.[8]
Regaining the WBC title
Lewis knocked out Australian Justin Fortune in his first comeback fight. He then received a chance to fight for the mandatory challenger position within the WBC and won it by knocking out American contenderLionel Butler in the U.S. However, at the behest of promoter Don King[citation needed] the WBC chose to bypass him and give Mike Tyson the first shot at the title that had recently been won by fellow Briton Frank Bruno against Oliver McCall. Bruno had previously lost to both Lewis and Tyson.
While Lewis had the No. 1 contender's slot in the WBC rankings, he defeated Olympic gold medallist Ray Mercer by a close majority decision and contender Tommy Morrison. Lewis successfully sued to try and force Tyson to make a mandatory defense of the WBC title against him or force Tyson to give up the title, winning a four million dollar settlement from promoter Don King. Rather than fight Lewis, Tyson relinquished the WBC belt to fight Evander Holyfield, and the title was declared vacant. This set up a rematch between Lewis and McCall, who squared off on February 7, 1997 in Las Vegas for the WBC title. In one of the strangest fights in boxing history, McCall refused to box in the fourth and fifth rounds and actually began to cry in the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight and award Lewis the victory. On March 28, 1998, Lewis retained the WBC world title when he knocked out lineal champion Shannon Briggs in five rounds. (Briggs had recently outpointed George Foreman in a controversial fight, to win the lineal title.) Lewis also successfully defended against fellow Briton and former WBO world champion Henry Akinwande, who was disqualified after five rounds for excessive clinching. Lewis then met Poland's Andrew Golota, whom he knocked out in the first round, and beat formerly-undefeated European champion Željko Mavrović from Croatia in a 12-round unanimous decision. Lewis stated in 2006 that his fight with Mavrovic was the most awkward win of his career.[9]
Undisputed heavyweight champion
On March 13, 1999, Lewis faced WBA and IBF title holder Evander Holyfield in New York City in what was supposed to be a heavyweight unification bout. Lewis fought a brilliant tactical fight, keeping Holyfield off balance with a long jab and peppering him with combinations almost at will. Although most observers believed Lewis had clearly won the fight, the bout was declared a draw, to much controversy. The raw statistics of the fight suggested the bout belonged to Lewis, who landed 348 punches compared to Holyfield's 130. Lewis also out-jabbed Holyfield 137 to 52.[10] Judge Eugenia Williams, who scored the fight in Holyfield's favour, said she saw Lewis land fewer punches than the champion.[11]
The sanctioning bodies ordered a rematch.[12] Eight months later in Las Vegas (November 13, 1999), the two men fought again and Lewis won by unanimous decision, in doing so becoming undisputed heavyweight champion of the World
In 1999, Lewis was given one of the most prestigious sports awards in Britain, being voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
After Lewis defeated Holyfield the WBA ordered Lewis to defend the title against John Ruiz of Puerto Rico, then an obscure Don King fighter who had been made the WBA's #1-ranked contender. Lewis refused to fight Ruiz, however Ruiz litigated the matter on the basis of a clause in the Lewis Holyfield rematch contract.
Rather than face Ruiz in a commercially unattractive bout, Lewis elected to instead fight the 6 ft 8 inch American Michael Grant. In doing so, Lewis forfeited the WBA title. He did however successfully defend his title against Grant with a second round knockout victory.
Lewis then knocked out South African Francois Botha in two, before winning a 12-round decision against New Zealander, David Tua. However, on April 21, 2001, Lewis was knocked out by 15-to-1 underdog Hasim Rahman in a bout in South Africa. The loss, coupled with Lewis' earlier TKO loss to McCall, led many ringside observers[who?] to question Lewis' heart and chin. Prior to the bout, Lewis had a role in the film Ocean's Eleven in which he "boxed" against Wladimir Klitschko, and many feel that the distraction and disrupted training schedule contributed significantly to his loss.[citation needed]
While promoting the rematch with Rahman on ESPN's Up Close, the fighters got into a brawl[13] similar to the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in front of Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports. Many felt the brawl was staged to promote the fight, so the reality of the episode is still a matter of debate. Lewis regained the title on November 17 by outclassing and then knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round of their rematch.
Lewis vs. Tyson
On June 8, 2002, Lewis defended his title against Mike Tyson. A fight many had hoped would be a classic turned out to be one-sided as Lennox used his jab and superior reach to score a dominant knockout victory over "Iron Mike." By the end of the seventh round Tyson was tired and sluggish, his face swollen and his eyes cut. Tyson was knocked out in the eighth by a right hook from Lewis.
This fight was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating $106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the U.S., until it was surpassed by De La Hoya-Mayweather in 2007.[14]
Ticket sales were slow because they were priced as high as $2,400, but a crowd of 15,327 turned up to see the biggest sporting event ever in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Tyson also had to pay Lewis $335,000 out of his purse for biting him at the news conference to announce the fight, which was originally scheduled for April 6, 2002 in Las Vegas. Las Vegas, however, rejected the fight because of Tyson's licensing problems and several other states refused Tyson a license before Memphis finally bid $12 million to land it.
Lewis vs. Klitschko
In May 2003, Lewis sued boxing promoter Don King for $385 million, claiming that King used threats to have Tyson pull out of a rematch scheduled with Lewis for a month later. Lewis then scheduled a fight with Kirk Johnson for the championship belt of the less-recognized IBO, but dropped it when Johnson suffered an injury in training. Instead, Lewis fought Vitali Klitschko, the WBC's No. 1 contender and former WBO titlist at short notice. Lewis had planned to fight him in December, but since Klitschko had been on the undercard of the Johnson fight anyway, they agreed to square off on June 21. Lewis entered the ring at a career high 256½ pounds.[15] Lewis was dominated in the early rounds and was wobbled in round two by solid Klitschko punches. Lewis opened a cut above Klitschko's eye with a right cross in the third round and gave a better showing in the fourth round, and gaining the upper hand in fifth and sixth rounds. Before the start of round seven the doctor advised that the fight should be stopped due to a severe cut above Klitschko's left eye, awarding Lewis victory by TKO.
Interviewed about the fight by HBO, doctor Paul Wallace explained his decision: "When he raised his head up, his upper eyelid covered his field of vision. At that point I had no other option but to stop the fight. If he had to move his head to see me, there was no way he could defend his way against a punch."[citation needed]
Klitschko was leading 58–56 on all three judges' scorecards when the fight was stopped.
Hanging up the gloves
Because Klitschko had fought so well against Lewis, boxing fans soon began calling for a rematch. The WBC agreed, and kept the Ukrainian as its No. 1 contender. Lewis decided to pursue other interests, including sports management and music promotion. Lewis said he would not return to the ring. At his retirement, Lewis' record was 41 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 32 wins by knockout. Though it was rumoured in an article published by the Daily Mail on the February 24 that he would return to fight Klitschko once again, Lewis quickly shot down those rumours on his personal website. He announced once again, on March 4, 2007 (after the Edison Miranda vs. Allen Green fight), that he was not coming out of retirement[citation needed]. In 2008 Lewis commented on a possible match up with Riddick Bowe. "He waits until I am in retirement to call out my name," said Lewis. "I will come out of retirement to beat up that guy. I'll beat him up for free." [16]
Along with Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano he is one of three world heavyweight champions to have retired with no unavenged defeats.
In May 8, 2010 Lewis was let go by HBO as a commentator for Friday Night Fights. In 2002, Lewis was reportedly offered £5m by WWE chairman Vince McMahon to take up wrestling with WWE. His camp held discussions over a possible match with former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar in February 2003, at the No Mercy pay-per-view event. [1]
Lennox played at the World Series of Poker in both 2006 and 2007, and was knocked out without winning any money.
Lewis appeared on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in 2008. He came in fourth place (out of 14).
In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.[17] In 2009, in his first year of eligibility, Lewis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[18]
Personal life
Upon retiring from boxing, Lewis moved to Miami Beach with his wife, Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up. The couple have a daughter named Ling, and a son, Landon. Lewis told AventuraUSA.com in 2007 that he is contemplating opening an "international boxing academy" and perhaps one day starting a record label, but contrary to rumours, he has yet to embark on either endeavour.
Lewis has also done a public service announcement against domestic violence for Do Something.[19]
Amateur highlights
- Record: 75–7 (58 KOs)[20]
- 1983 Junior World Super Heavyweight Champion
- Represented Canada as a Super Heavyweight at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Results were:
- Defeated Mohammad Youssuf (Pakistan) TKO 3
- Lost to Tyrell Biggs (United States) points
- 1985 Silver Medalist at World Cup competition.
- 1986 Super Heavyweight Gold Medalist at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1987 Super Heavyweight Silver Medalist at Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Lost to Jorge Luis Gonzalez of Cuba in the final.
- 1987 Won the North American Super Heavyweight championship competition, defeating Jorge Luis Gonzalez
- Won the Super Heavyweight Gold medal for Canada at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
- Defeated Chris Odera (Kenya) TKO 2
- Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) TKO 1
- Defeated Janusz Zarenkiewicz (Poland) forfeit
- Defeated Riddick Bowe (United States) TKO 2.
Professional record
Styles from birth
- Lennox Lewis, CM (1988–1999)
- Lennox Lewis, CM, MBE (1999–2002)
- Lennox Lewis, CM, CBE (2002–present)
See also
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of Canadian sports personalities
- List of British heavyweight boxing champions
- List of European Boxing Union heavyweight champions
References
- ^ Mee, Bob (2001-04-18). "Angry Lewis caught in the crossfire". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- ^ The Lennox Lewis interview. Playboy online. April 2002. Accessed October 6, 2006
- ^ Youtube: An Audience With Lennox Lewis 1/4
- ^ Rivet, Christine (2004-02-06). "The champ hangs 'em up". The Record. Torstar Corporation.
- ^ Nack, William (1993-02-01). "The Great Brit Hope". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- ^ Putnam, Pat (1993-10-11). "Bloody Poor Show". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ Bruno vs. Lewis: A Personal Battle of Britain
- ^ Feour, Royce (2000-11-08). "Heavyweights' lone losses". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephens Media, LLC. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ http://www.secondsout.com/uk-boxing-features?ccs=338&cs=20602
- ^ BBC report of the fight
- ^ BBC report after the fight
- ^ Berkow, Ira (1999-03-15). "A Rematch For Holyfield And Lewis Is Ordered". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (2001-08-30). "Lewis, Rahman get physical during taping". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- ^ Umstead, R. Thomas (2007-05-14). "HBO Rings In A PPV Knockout". Multichannel News. Variety Group. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Rafael, Dan (2003-06-23). "Lewis shows his age in struggle to defend title". USA TODAY. Gannett Co. Inc. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=3727811
- ^ "Yzerman, Lewis among Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductees". The Sports Network. 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Lewis handed Hall of Fame honour". BBC News. 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ "Lennox Lewis Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence". Do Something. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Lennox Lewis". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Lennox Lewis' career boxing record". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Official Site
- BBC Sports-Lewis' career in photos
- Lennox Lewis Profile at AventuraUSA.com
- Boxing record for Lennox Lewis from BoxRec (registration required)
- Lennox Lewis at IMDb
- Boxing-Encyclopedia
Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle Template:Championshiptitle
- 1965 births
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners
- Black British sportspeople
- Black Canadian sportspeople
- Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Boxers at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- British boxers
- Canadian boxers
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada
- Boxers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
- English boxers
- English immigrants to Canada
- English people of Jamaican descent
- Heavyweights
- IBF Champions
- International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
- Canadian people of Jamaican descent
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- Participants in American reality television series
- People from Kitchener, Ontario
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