Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis

Lewis in 2010
Statistics
Real name Lennox Claudius Lewis
Nickname(s) The Lion
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Reach 84 in (213 cm)
Nationality
  • British
  • Canadian[1]
Born (1965-09-02) 2 September 1965
London, England
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 44
Wins 41
Wins by KO 32
Losses 2
Draws 1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Canada
Commonwealth Games
1986 Edinburgh Super-heavyweight
Olympic Games
1988 Seoul Super-heavyweight
Pan American Games
1987 Indianapolis Super-heavyweight

Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE (born 2 September 1965) is a former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and remains the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed title. Lewis holds dual British and Canadian citizenship; as an amateur he represented Canada at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division after defeating future world champion Riddick Bowe in the final.

In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional championships, including the European, British, and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. After winning his first 21 fights, he defeated Donovan Ruddock in 1992 to take over the number one position in the WBC rankings. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion in December 1992 after Riddick Bowe gave up the title to avoid defending it against Lewis. He defended the title three times before an upset knockout loss to Oliver McCall in 1994. Lewis avenged the loss in a 1997 rematch to win back the vacant WBC title.

Lewis won the lineal title by defeating Shannon Briggs in 1998. Two fights against Evander Holyfield in 1999 (the first of which ended in a controversial draw) saw Lewis become undisputed heavyweight champion by unifying his WBC title with Holyfield's WBA and IBF titles, as well as the vacant IBO title. In 2000, the WBA stripped Lewis of their title when he opted to face Michael Grant instead of mandatory challenger John Ruiz.

Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in a 2001 upset, but this defeat was avenged later in the year. Lewis was forced to vacate the IBF title in 2002 after refusing to face mandatory challenger Chris Byrd. In 2002, Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in one of the most highly anticipated fights in boxing history. Prior to the event, Lewis was awarded the Ring magazine heavyweight title, which had been vacant since the late 1980s and was last held by Tyson. In what would be his final fight, in 2003, Lewis defeated Vitali Klitschko in a bloody encounter. He vacated his remaining titles and retired from boxing in 2004.

Lewis often referred to himself as "the pugilist specialist". During his boxing prime he was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, with an 84 in (210 cm) reach, and weighed about 245 lb (111 kg). He is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and also one of the greatest British fighters of all time.[2][3] In 1999 he was named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Early life

Lewis was born on 2 September 1965, in London, England to parents born in Jamaica.[4] At birth he weighed 4.8 kg (10 lb 10 oz), and was given the name Lennox by the doctor, who said he looked like a Lennox.[5] 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.[6] In the 1982–83 school year, he helped the school's AAA basketball team win the Ontario provincial championship.[7][8]

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.[9] At the age of 18, Lewis represented Canada in the super-heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He advanced to the quarter-finals, where he lost by decision to Tyrell Biggs of the US, who went on to win the gold medal.

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. At the World Championships, he lost in the preliminary round to Petar Stoymenov of Bulgaria.[10] Later that year, Lewis won gold at the Commonwealth Games. After winning several more amateur titles in the following years, he traveled to Seoul, South Korea, for the 1988 Summer Olympics and achieved his goal. In the gold medal final, Lewis defeated future world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe via second-round referee stopped contest (RSC). Lewis would go on to become the first super-heavyweight gold medallist to become world heavyweight champion as a professional. In the Games' closing ceremony, Lewis was Canada's flag bearer.[11] Lewis finished his amateur career with a record of 75 wins (58 by knockout) and 7 losses.[12]

Highlights

Notable wins

Professional career

Early career

Having achieved his goal, Lewis declared himself a professional and moved back to his native England. He claimed he had always considered himself British,[14][15][16] but many British fans regarded him as "a Canadian at heart and a Briton for convenience."[17] In 2015 Lewis explained "When I turned pro, I had to go to the United Kingdom in order to pursue my career. The infrastructure to develop boxers wasn't in Canada then."[18]

Lewis signed with boxing promoter Frank Maloney and his early professional career was filled with knockouts of journeymen. After he signed with American promoter Main Events, he won the European heavyweight title in 1990 against Frenchman Jean Maurice Chanet. In his next fight in March 1991, Lewis won the British title against undefeated, world-ranked Gary Mason, and in April 1992 won the Commonwealth title against Derek Williams.

Lewis was a top-five world heavyweight. He defeated former WBA heavyweight champion Mike Weaver, 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Tyrell Biggs, former world cruiserweight title holders Glenn McCrory and Osvaldo Ocasio, and journeymen Levi Billups and Mike Dixon.

WBC heavyweight champion

On 31 October 1992, Lewis knocked out Canadian Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in two rounds for the number one contender's position in the WBC rankings. It was Lewis' most impressive win to date, and established him as one of the world's best heavyweights. Sportscaster Larry Merchant declared, "We have a great new heavyweight."

The win over Ruddock made Lewis the number one contender for Riddick Bowe's heavyweight championship. Bowe held a press conference to dump his WBC title into a trash can and relinquished it to avoid a mandatory defense against Lewis.[19][20] On 14 December 1992, the WBC declared Lewis its champion, making him the first world heavyweight titleholder from Britain in the 20th century.

Lewis defended the belt three times, defeating Tony Tucker, whom he knocked down for the first time in Tucker's career, and he followed this with knockout victories over Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson. The Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight was the first time two British-born boxers fought for a version of the world heavyweight title in the modern era.[21]

Loss to McCall

Lewis lost his WBC title to Oliver McCall on 24 September 1994 in a huge upset at the Wembley Arena in London. In the second round, McCall landed a powerful right hook, putting Lewis on his back. Lewis returned to his feet at the count of six, but stumbled forward into the referee in a daze. Referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia felt Lewis was unable to continue and ended the fight, giving McCall the title by technical knockout. Lewis and others argued the stoppage was premature and that a champion should be given the benefit of the doubt.[22] In spite of the Lewis camp protests, Boxing Monthly editor Glynn Leach pointed out that Lewis "only seemed to recover his senses once the fight was waved off", and that "in the opinions of everyone I spoke to at ringside, the decision was correct."

After the fight, Lewis decided he needed a new trainer to replace Pepe Correa, who had become increasingly difficult to work with. Correa denounced Lewis in public after being fired. Renowned trainer Emanuel Steward, who had been McCall's trainer during their fight, was Lewis' choice. Even before the fight with McCall, Steward had seen much potential in Lewis and immediately expressed a desire to work with him. He corrected several of Lewis' technical flaws, which included maintaining a more balanced stance, less reliance on his straight right hand, and a focus on using a strong, authoritative jab; the latter of which would become a hallmark of Lewis' style throughout the rest of his career. Their partnership lasted until Lewis' retirement, both having mutual praise and respect for each other to this day.[23]

Regaining the WBC title

In his first comeback fight, Lewis was given a chance to fight for the mandatory challenger position within the WBC and won it by knocking out American contender Lionel Butler. However, at the behest of promoter Don King, the WBC bypassed him and gave Mike Tyson the first chance at the title recently won by Briton Frank Bruno from Oliver McCall. Bruno had previously lost to both Lewis and Tyson.

Lewis had the number 1 contender's slot in the WBC rankings when he knocked out Australian Justin Fortune, then defeated former WBO Champion Tommy Morrison in October 1995, followed by Olympic gold medalist and former WBO champion Ray Mercer in a close majority decision in May 1996. Lewis successfully sued to force Tyson to make a mandatory defence of the WBC title against him. Lewis was offered a $13.5 million guarantee to fight Tyson to settle the lawsuit, but turned it down. This would've been Lewis' highest fight purse to date. Lewis accepted $4 million from Don King to step aside and allow Tyson to fight Bruce Seldon instead, with a guarantee that if Tyson defeated Seldon, he would fight Lewis next.[24] After winning the WBA title from Seldon, Tyson relinquished the WBC title to fight Evander Holyfield instead. The WBC title was declared vacant. This set up a rematch between Lewis and McCall, who met on 7 February 1997 in Las Vegas for the WBC title.

In one of the strangest fights in boxing history, McCall (having lost the first three rounds) refused to box in the fourth and fifth rounds. He then began crying in the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight and award Lewis the victory and the title. As newly re-crowned WBC champion, Lewis successfully defended the title during 1997 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. Lewis retained the WBC world title in 1998 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), 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.[25]

Lewis vs. Holyfield

On 13 March 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 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.[26] Judge Eugenia Williams, who scored the fight in Holyfield's favour, said she saw Lewis land fewer punches than Holyfield.[27]

Lewis vs. Holyfield II

The sanctioning bodies ordered a rematch.[28] Eight months later in Las Vegas (13 November 1999), the two men fought again in a more open and entertaining contest than the original fight, with the two boxers having some heavy exchanges from rounds six to nine. The punch stats however still clearly favoured Lewis who landed 195 punches to Evander Holyfield's 137 punches, although interestingly Lewis landed 119 power shots and 76 jabs, showing a definite shift in his tactics from the first fight when he focused more on the jab. This time around the three judges scored the fight unanimously (115–113, 116–112 & 117–111) in favour of Lewis who became undisputed heavyweight champion of the World. The British public voted Lewis the 1999 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.[29]

Reign as undisputed heavyweight champion

After Lewis defeated Holyfield the WBA ordered Lewis to defend the title against John Ruiz of Puerto Rico, who was then an obscure Don King fighter who had been made the WBA's number one-ranked contender. The WBA gave permission for Lewis to fight his WBC mandatory Michael Grant first if he would fight Ruiz next, to which Lewis agreed. Opposed to this, King challenged this decision in court on the basis of a clause in the Lewis-Holyfield rematch contract that said Lewis's first bout as undisputed champion would be against the WBA's number one contender. Lewis was therefore to be stripped of his WBA belt if he fought Grant first. It was because of this that the WBA instated its "Super Champion" title, giving unified titleholders who also hold a WBA belt more time to defend against mandatory challengers.

Lewis proceeded to fight the 203 cm (6 foot 7 inch) American Michael Grant who he considered the best contender available. He successfully defended his WBC, IBO & IBF titles against Grant with a second-round knockout victory in Madison Square Garden in April 2000.

Later that same year, Lewis knocked out South African Francois Botha in two rounds in London, before winning a 12-round decision against New Zealander and IBF mandatory opponent, David Tua in Las Vegas.

Lewis vs. Rahman

On 21 April 2001, Lewis was knocked out by 15-to-1 underdog Hasim Rahman in a bout in South Africa. Before the bout, Lewis had a role in the film Ocean's Eleven in which he "boxed" against Wladimir Klitschko.

Lewis vs. Rahman II

Lewis immediately sought a rematch with the new champion; however, Rahman, now being promoted by Don King, tried to secure another opponent for his inaugural title defence. Lewis took Rahman to court to honour the rematch clause in their contract. Rahman was ordered to honour the clause and give Lewis a rematch in his first title defence. While promoting the rematch with Rahman on ESPN's Up Close, the fighters got into a brawl[30] similar to the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in front of Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports. Lewis regained the title on 17 November by outclassing and then knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round of their rematch.

Lewis vs. Tyson

On 8 June 2002, Lewis defended his title against Mike Tyson. Ticket sales were slow because they were priced as high as US $2,400, but a crowd of 15,327 turned up to see boxing's then biggest event at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee. Tyson also had to pay Lewis $335,000 out of his purse for biting him at the news conference announcing the fight, which was originally scheduled for 6 April 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 US $12 million to land it.

By the end of the seventh round Tyson was tired and sluggish, his face swollen and his eyes cut. He was knocked out in the eighth by a right hook. After the fight, George Foreman declared, "He [Lewis] is, no doubt, the best heavyweight of all time. What he's done clearly puts him on top of the heap."[31] This was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating US $106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the US, until it was surpassed by De La Hoya-Mayweather in 2007.[32] Both fighters were guaranteed US $17.5 million.

Lewis vs. Klitschko

In May 2003, Lewis sued boxing promoter Don King for US $385 million, claiming that King used threats and bribery to have Tyson pull out of a rematch with Lewis and a fight on the card of a Lewis title defence.

Lewis scheduled a fight with Kirk Johnson for June, but when Johnson suffered an injury in training, Lewis fought Vitali Klitschko, the WBC's No. 1 contender and former WBO champion. 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 21 June. Lewis entered the ring at a career high 116 kg (256½ pounds).[33] 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 from the fourth round onwards. With both fighters looking tired before the start of round seven, the doctor advised that the fight should be stopped because of a severe cut above Klitschko's left eye, awarding Lewis victory by TKO. Klitschko was leading 58–56 on all three judges' scorecards when the fight was stopped. Lewis was guaranteed US $7 million and Klitschko US $1.4 million. The gate was US $2,523,384 from an attendance of 15,939 at the Staples Center in California. The fight aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing and was watched in 4.6 million homes.[34]

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."

Klitschko's face required sixty stitches.[35][36][37]

Because Klitschko had fought so bravely against Lewis, boxing fans soon began calling for a rematch. The WBC agreed, and kept the Ukrainian as its No. 1 contender. Lewis initially was in favour of a rematch:

"I want the rematch, I enjoyed that fight. It was just a fight. We went at it. You have to play dollars and cents but I'm opting more for the rematch."[38]

Negotiations for the rematch followed but Lewis changed his mind.[39] Instead, Klitschko fought and defeated Kirk Johnson on 6 December in WBC Eliminator, setting up a mandatory rematch with Lewis. Lewis announced his retirement shortly thereafter in February 2004, to pursue other interests, including sports management and music promotion, and vacated the title. Lewis said he would not return to the ring. At his retirement, Lewis's record was 41 wins, two losses and one draw, with 32 wins by knockout.

Retirement

Though it was rumoured in an article published by the Daily Mail on 24 February that he would return to fight Klitschko once again, Lewis quickly shot down those rumours on his personal website. 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."[20] In 2011, in response to a demand on Twitter from Bowe that he "put [his] gold medal on and let's fight for that!!", Lewis replied "I thought we already did."

Lewis worked as a boxing analyst for HBO on Boxing After Dark from 2006 until 2010.

Boxing style

Lewis was a classic up-right boxer, who beat opponents from the outside with his dominant 84" reach. His jab, which was often a pawing shot early in his career, became a formidable weapon under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, which Lewis used to set up his signature punch, the straight right hand. Under Steward, Lewis became less-reliant on his right hand and displayed a more complete skill-set. Criticized at times for being too patient and for his lack of in-fighting skills, Lewis was at his most effective when boxing from range. Known for his physical strength, Lewis was able to maneuver opponents into punching range and was especially effective against taller opponents. While lacking the natural fluidity of his great rival, Riddick Bowe, Lewis eventually developed into one of the most complete heavyweights in history; able to box at range or fight aggressively when necessary, as well as being considered one of the hardest punchers of all-time.

Legacy and historical standing

Lewis was the fifth Olympic gold medalist to become world heavyweight champion after Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He holds the distinction of being the first professional heavyweight champion to win a gold medal in the super-heavyweight category, which was not created until the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is also the only boxer to represent Canada at the Summer Olympics and subsequently win a professional world title. Lewis is the only British heavyweight to have won both a Lonsdale belt outright and the world title.

While struggling to achieve popularity and respect earlier in his professional career, Lewis' standing has increased since his retirement in 2003, and he is now considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Struggling to win the affection of the British public and facing indifference from an American audience, Lewis' body of work eventually established him as the dominant heavyweight of his time. His size, power and boxing skills have caused him to be considered the last of the great heavyweights, while he is currently the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed championship.

At four years, two months and fifteen days, Lewis has the twelfth longest reign in heavyweight championship history. His combined three reigns tally 2346 days, which ranks as the eighth longest cumulative time spent as heavyweight champion. His total of fourteen successful defenses ranks as the fifth highest in heavyweight history.

Lewis became one of only two boxers in history, and the first since Ken Norton in 1978, to have been awarded the heavyweight championship without actually winning a championship bout when the WBC awarded him their title in 1992. This was due to Riddick Bowe relinquishing the title after failing to agree to defend the title against Lewis, who had become the mandatory challenger by defeating Donovan Ruddock a few weeks earlier.

In 2001, Lewis became the fourth boxer (after Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer) to have held the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions.

BoxRec ranks Lewis as the twelfth greatest heavyweight of all time, as well as the third greatest British fighter.

In 2017, Boxing News ranked Lewis as the second-best British fighter of all-time, after Jimmy Wilde. In the same year, The Ring magazine ranked Lewis as the joint-eleventh greatest heavyweight of all time (alongside Evander Holyfield), describing him as "a giant who fought with finesse" who beat every available contender.[40] Thomas Hauser stated that the idea of Lewis having no chin was a myth, citing his rising from the powerful punch from Oliver McCall which floored Lewis for the first knockdown of his career, and suggesting that he was perhaps stopped prematurely. He also contended that the knockout punch from Hasim Rahman in their first fight would have knocked out anyone. In 2003, The Ring ranked Lewis as the 33rd greatest puncher of all time.

Along with Ingemar Johansson and Rocky Marciano, Lewis is one of three world heavyweight champions to have retired with victories over every opponent he faced as a professional . He is also, along with Tunney, Marciano and Vitali Klitschko, one of four heavyweight champions to have ended his career as world champion, and with a world title fight victory in his final fight.

In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.[41] In 2009, in his first year of eligibility, Lewis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[42] He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.[43]

Life outside of boxing

Lewis in 2008

In 2000, Lewis appeared on Reflection Eternal's debut album Train of Thought, giving a shout out on the track "Down for the Count."

In 2001, Lewis had a role in the film Ocean's Eleven in which he "boxed" against Wladimir Klitschko.

In 2002, Lewis was reportedly offered £5m by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) chairman Vince McMahon to take up professional wrestling in his industry. His camp held discussions over a possible match with Brock Lesnar in February 2003, at the No Way Out pay-per-view event.[44] Prior to the offer Lewis was familiar with wrestling; he was part of the famous match held in the old Wembley Stadium between The British Bulldog and Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1992, representing the Bulldog during his entrance while bearing a Union Flag.

In 2003, Lewis made a brief cameo appearance in the Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J video "All I Have".

In 2006 he appeared in the movie Johnny Was with Vinnie Jones.

Lewis played in 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).

Lewis made a public service announcement against domestic violence for Do Something.[45]

In 2011 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

Lewis is a supporter of his home town football club, West Ham United.[46]

Personal life

Upon retiring from boxing, Lewis moved to Miami Beach with his wife, Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up. They have four children. Lewis told AventuraUSA.com in 2007 that he is contemplating opening an "international boxing academy" and perhaps one day starting a record label, but he has yet to embark on either endeavour. Lewis has a villa at the Tryall Golf Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Lewis is an avid amateur chess player, and funded an after-school chess programme for disadvantaged youth, one of whom earned a university chess scholarship at Tennessee Tech.[47]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
44 fights 41 wins 2 losses
By knockout 32 2
By decision 7 0
By disqualification 2 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
44 Win 41–2–1 Ukraine Vitali Klitschko TKO 6 (12), 3:00 21 Jun 2003 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, US Retained WBC, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
43 Win 40–2–1 United States Mike Tyson KO 8 (12), 2:25 8 Jun 2002 The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee, US Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles
42 Win 39–2–1 United States Hasim Rahman KO 4 (12), 1:29 17 Nov 2001 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US Won WBC, IBF, IBO, and lineal heavyweight titles
41 Loss 38–2–1 United States Hasim Rahman KO 5 (12), 2:32 22 Apr 2001 Carnival City, Brakpan, South Africa Lost WBC, IBF, IBO, and lineal heavyweight titles
40 Win 38–1–1 New Zealand David Tua UD 12 11 Nov 2000 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, and lineal heavyweight titles
39 Win 37–1–1 South Africa Francois Botha TKO 2 (12), 2:39 15 Jul 2000 London Arena, London, England Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, and lineal heavyweight titles
38 Win 36–1–1 United States Michael Grant KO 2 (12), 2:53 29 Apr 2000 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, and lineal heavyweight titles
37 Win 35–1–1 United States Evander Holyfield UD 12 13 Nov 1999 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US Retained WBC and lineal heavyweight titles;
Won WBA, IBF, and vacant IBO heavyweight titles
36 Draw 34–1–1 United States Evander Holyfield SD 12 13 Mar 1999 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US Retained WBC and lineal heavyweight titles;
For WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
35 Win 34–1 Croatia Željko Mavrović UD 12 26 Sep 1998 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US Retained WBC and lineal heavyweight titles
34 Win 33–1 United States Shannon Briggs TKO 5 (12), 1:45 28 Mar 1998 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US Retained WBC heavyweight title;
Won lineal heavyweight title
33 Win 32–1 Poland Andrew Golota KO 1 (12), 1:35 4 Oct 1997 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US Retained WBC heavyweight title
32 Win 31–1 United Kingdom Henry Akinwande DQ 5 (12), 2:34 12 Jul 1997 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US Retained WBC heavyweight title;
Akinwande disqualified for repeated holding
31 Win 30–1 United States Oliver McCall TKO 5 (12), 0:55 7 Feb 1997 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, US Won vacant WBC heavyweight title
30 Win 29–1 United States Ray Mercer MD 10 10 May 1996 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
29 Win 28–1 United States Tommy Morrison TKO 6 (12), 1:22 7 Oct 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US Won IBC heavyweight title
28 Win 27–1 Australia Justin Fortune TKO 4 (10), 1:48 2 Jul 1995 Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
27 Win 26–1 United States Lionel Butler TKO 5 (12), 2:55 13 May 1995 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, US
26 Loss 25–1 United States Oliver McCall TKO 2 (12), 0:31 24 Sep 1994 Wembley Arena, London, England Lost WBC heavyweight title
25 Win 25–0 United States Phil Jackson TKO 8 (12), 1:35 6 May 1994 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US Retained WBC heavyweight title
24 Win 24–0 United Kingdom Frank Bruno TKO 7 (12), 1:12 1 Oct 1993 Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales Retained WBC heavyweight title
23 Win 23–0 United States Tony Tucker UD 12 8 May 1993 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US Retained WBC heavyweight title
22 Win 22–0 Canada Donovan Ruddock TKO 2 (12), 0:46 31 Oct 1992 Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title
21 Win 21–0 United States Mike Dixon TKO 4 (10), 1:02 11 Aug 1992 Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
20 Win 20–0 United Kingdom Derek Williams TKO 3 (12), 2:30 30 Apr 1992 Royal Albert Hall, London, England Retained British and European heavyweight titles;
Won Commonwealth heavyweight title
19 Win 19–0 United States Levi Billups UD 10 1 Feb 1992 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US
18 Win 18–0 United States Tyrell Biggs TKO 3 (10), 2:47 23 Nov 1991 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, US
17 Win 17–0 United Kingdom Glenn McCrory KO 2 (12), 1:30 30 Sep 1991 Royal Albert Hall, London, England Retained British and European heavyweight titles
16 Win 16–0 United States Mike Weaver KO 6 (10), 1:05 12 Jul 1991 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US
15 Win 15–0 United Kingdom Gary Mason TKO 7 (12), 0:44 6 Mar 1991 Wembley Arena, London, England Retained European heavyweight title;
Won British heavyweight title
14 Win 14–0 France Jean-Maurice Chanet TKO 6 (12), 0:16 31 Oct 1990 Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, England Won European heavyweight title
13 Win 13–0 United States Mike Acey KO 2 (10), 0:34 11 Jul 1990 Superstars Nite Club, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
12 Win 12–0 Puerto Rico Ossie Ocasio UD 8 27 Jun 1990 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
11 Win 11–0 United States Dan Murphy TKO 6 (8), 2:11 20 May 1990 Town Hall, Sheffield, England
10 Win 10–0 Argentina Jorgé Dascola KO 1 (8), 2:59 9 May 1990 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
9 Win 9–0 Zambia Michael Simuwelu TKO 1 (8), 0:58 14 Apr 1990 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
8 Win 8–0 United States Calvin Jones KO 1 (8), 2:34 22 Mar 1990 Leisure Centre, Gateshead, England
7 Win 7–0 United Kingdom Noel Quarless TKO 2 (6), 1:25 31 Jan 1990 York Hall, London, England
6 Win 6–0 United States Greg Gorrell TKO 5 (8), 0:51 18 Dec 1989 Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
5 Win 5–0 United States Melvin Epps DQ 2 (6), 0:30 5 Nov 1989 Royal Albert Hall, London, England Epps disqualified for rabbit punching
4 Win 4–0 United Kingdom Steve Garber KO 1 (6) 10 Oct 1989 City Hall, Hull, England
3 Win 3–0 United Kingdom Andrew Gerrard TKO 4 (6), 0:33 25 Sep 1989 Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, England
2 Win 2–0 United States Bruce Johnson TKO 2 (6) 21 Jul 1989 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
1 Win 1–0 United Kingdom Al Malcolm KO 2 (6), 0:19 27 Jun 1989 Royal Albert Hall, London, England Professional debut

Pay-per-view bouts

Date Fight Billing Buys Revenue
October 4, 1997 Lewis vs. Golota Lewis-Golota
300,000
 n/a
March 13, 1999 Holyfield vs. Lewis Undisputed
1,200,000
 $18m
November 13, 1999 Holyfield vs. Lewis II Unfinished Business
850,000
 $12.8m
April 29, 2000 Lewis vs. Grant Two Big
350,000
 n/a
November 11, 2000 Lewis vs. Tua Royal Rampage
420,000
 n/a
November 17, 2001 Rahman vs. Lewis II Final Judgement
460,000
 $23m
June 8, 2002 Lewis vs. Tyson Lewis-Tyson: Is On
1,950,000
 $106.9m
Total
7 Pay Per View Fights
5,530,000

Honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mee, Bob (18 April 2001). "Angry Lewis caught in the crossfire". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  2. ↑ "Lennox Lewis: One of the greatest ever". Boxingnews24.com. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  3. ↑ "Lennox Lewis is, "The best heavyweight of all time"". YouTube. 2000-07-15. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  4. ↑ The Lennox Lewis interview Archived 22 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine.. Playboy online. April 2002. Accessed 6 October 2006
  5. ↑ YouTube: An Audience With Lennox Lewis 1/4
  6. ↑ Rivet, Christine (6 February 2004). "The champ hangs 'em up". The Record. Torstar Corporation.
  7. ↑ OFSAA Past Champions Boys' Basketball OFSAA. Accessed on December 28, 2015.
  8. ↑ Boxer Lennox Lewis to receive honorary doctorate Share. Accessed on December 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ Nack, William (1 February 1993). "The Great Brit Hope". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  10. ↑ "WorldChamps1986". Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  11. ↑ "1988 Seoul". Canadian Olympic Committee. 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Lennox Lewis". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "2.World Junior Championships - Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep. - November 17-24 1983". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  14. ↑ Lewis, Ron (2 April 2008). "Lennox Lewis still fighting his corner as he lays into heavyweight issues". London: Timesonline. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  15. ↑ "Lennox Lewis answers your questions" BBC, 21 December 2009, retrieved 25 December 2010
  16. ↑ "BOXING; Bruno vs. Lewis: A Personal Battle of Britain" New York Times, 10 August 1993, retrieved 25 December 2010
  17. ↑ Putnam, Pat (11 October 1993). "Bloody Poor Show". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  18. ↑ Lankhof, Bill (14 July 2015). "Lennox Lewis wants to make Toronto 'Boxing City'". Toronto: Sun Media. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "BOXING; Bowe Trashes His W.B.C. Title Belt". The New York Times. 15 December 1992. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  20. 1 2 "Lennox Lewis lays rumors of return to rest once and for all". ESPN.com.
  21. ↑ Bruno vs. Lewis: A Personal Battle of Britain. Nytimes.com (10 August 1993). Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  22. ↑ Feour, Royce (8 November 2000). "Heavyweights' lone losses". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephens Media, LLC. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  23. ↑ Evans, Gavin (19 September 2005). Mama's Boy: Lennox Lewis and the Heavyweight Crown. Highdown Publishing. ISBN 9781905156092.
  24. ↑ "BOXING;Bronchitis Stops Tyson: Seldon Fight Is Off". The New York Times. 4 July 1996. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  25. ↑ SecondsOut Boxing News – UK Features – Lennox Lewis: Consummate Cool. Secondsout.com (27 October 2006). Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  26. ↑ BBC report of the fight. BBC News (14 March 1999). Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  27. ↑ BBC report after the fight. BBC News (14 March 1999). Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  28. ↑ Berkow, Ira (15 March 1999). "A Rematch For Holyfield And Lewis Is Ordered". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  29. ↑ "Sports Personality Roll of Honour". BBC. Retrieve 26 December 2013
  30. ↑ Rovell, Darren (30 August 2001). "Lewis, Rahman get physical during taping". ESPN.com. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  31. ↑ Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson – Part 5/5. YouTube. Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  32. ↑ Umstead, R. Thomas (14 May 2007). "HBO Rings in a PPV Knockout". Multichannel News. Variety Group. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  33. ↑ Rafael, Dan (23 June 2003). "Lewis shows his age in struggle to defend title". USA TODAY. Gannett Co. Inc. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
  34. ↑ "Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  35. ↑ "BOXING; 60 Stitches for Klitschko", New York Times, 25 June 2003, retrieved 23 December 2010.
  36. ↑ "National Conference Call Transcript: Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Cut Man Joe Souza, Dr. Pearlman Hicks, Attorney Ron DiNicola", eastsideboxing.com, retrieved 23 December 2010.
  37. ↑ "Relief for Lewis, stitches for Klitschko", BBC, 22 June 2003 retrieved 23 December 2010.
  38. ↑ Rafael, Dan. (3 July 2003) "Lewis eager for rematch with Klitschko" By Dan Rafael, USA TODAY. Usatoday.com. Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  39. ↑ "Lewis 'snubs' Klitschko". BBC News. 4 August 2003.
  40. ↑ "The greatest heavyweight of all time". The Ring. May 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  41. ↑ "Yzerman, Lewis among Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductees". The Sports Network. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  42. ↑ "Lewis handed Hall of Fame honour". BBC News. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  43. ↑ "Lennox Lewis". Oshof.ca. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  44. ↑ BBC Sport | Funny Old Game | Fox set to box. BBC News (11 October 2002). Retrieved on 25 November 2011.
  45. ↑ "Lennox Lewis Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence". Do Something. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  46. ↑ Lennox Lewis would make ring return to fight Wladimir Klitschko... for $100m London 24, 10 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  47. ↑ Elder, Larry (2008). Stupid Black men: how to play the race card-- and lose. Macmillan, ISBN 0-312-36733-3, p. 201-203.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by
Jean-Maurice Chanet		 European heavyweight champion
31 October 1990 – October 1992
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Henry Akinwande
Preceded by
Gary Mason		 British heavyweight champion
6 March 1991 – October 1992
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Herbie Hide
Preceded by
Derek Williams		 Commonwealth heavyweight champion
30 April 1992 – March 1993
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Henry Akinwande
Minor world boxing titles
Preceded by
Tommy Morrison		 IBC heavyweight champion
7 October 1995 – May 1996
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Jerry Ballard
Vacant
Title last held by
Brian Nielsen		 IBO heavyweight champion
13 November 1999 – 22 April 2001 		Succeeded by
Hasim Rahman
Preceded by
Hasim Rahman		 IBO heavyweight champion
17 November 2001 – 6 February 2004
Retired 		Vacant
Title next held by
Wladimir Klitschko
Major world boxing titles
Preceded by
Riddick Bowe
stripped		 WBC heavyweight champion
14 December 1992 – 24 September 1994 		Succeeded by
Oliver McCall
Vacant
Title last held by
Mike Tyson		 WBC heavyweight champion
7 February 1997 – 22 April 2001 		Succeeded by
Hasim Rahman
Preceded by
Shannon Briggs		 Lineal heavyweight champion
28 March 1998 – 22 April 2001
Preceded by
Evander Holyfield		 WBA heavyweight champion
13 November 1999 – 29 April 2000
Stripped 		Succeeded by
Evander Holyfield
IBF heavyweight champion
13 November 1999 – 5 September 2002
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Chris Byrd
Vacant
Title last held by
Riddick Bowe		 Undisputed heavyweight champion
13 November 1999 – 29 April 2000
Titles fragmented 		Vacant
Preceded by
Hasim Rahman		 WBC heavyweight champion
17 November 2001 – 6 February 2004
Retired 		Vacant
Title next held by
Vitali Klitschko
Lineal heavyweight champion
17 November 2001 – 6 February 2004
Retired 		Vacant
Title next held by
Wladimir Klitschko
Vacant
Title last held by
Evander Holyfield		 The Ring heavyweight champion
June 2002 – 6 February 2004
Retired 		Vacant
Title next held by
Vitali Klitschko
Awards
Previous:
Ben Tackie
KO10 Robert Garcia		 The Ring Knockout of the Year
KO5 Hasim Rahman
2001 		Next:
Rocky Juarez
KO10 Antonio Diaz
The Ring Knockout of the Year
KO8 Mike Tyson
2002
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