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Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who competed in the heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
at the 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
and 1988 Olympics, winning the super-heavyweight gold medal in 1988. Lewis is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and one of the greatest British boxers of all time.
In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional heavyweight championships, including the European, British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
, and Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
titles. After winning his first 21 fights, he defeated Donovan Ruddock
Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, ...
in 1992 to take over the number one position in the World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...
(WBC) rankings. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title, refusing to defend it against Lewis. He defended the title three times before an upset knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
loss to Oliver McCall in 1994. Lewis avenged the loss in a 1997 rematch to regain the vacant WBC title.
Two fights against Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
in 1999 (the first ending in a controversial draw) saw Lewis become undisputed heavyweight champion by unifying his WBC title with Holyfield's World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level.
Founded ...
(WBA) and International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts. The others are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing C ...
(IBF) titles. In 2000, the WBA stripped Lewis of his title when he chose to face Michael Grant instead of mandatory challenger John Ruiz. Similarly, the IBF stripped Lewis of their title in 2002 when he chose not to face their mandatory challenger Chris Byrd.
Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in an upset in 2001, but this defeat was avenged later in the year, with Lewis regaining the WBC and IBF titles. In 2002, Lewis defeated Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
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 discontinued in the late 1980s. In what would be his final fight, Lewis defeated Vitali Klitschko
Vitalii Volodymyrovych Klychko (; ; born 19 July 1971), known as Vitali Klitschko, is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He serves as mayor of Kyiv,stoppage in 2003. He vacated his remaining titles and retired from boxing in 2004.
Early life
Lewis was born on 2 September 1965 inWest Ham
West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross.
The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
, London, to Jamaican immigrant parents and according to his mother, he would often fight with other children growing up. 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."
Lewis moved to Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
, Canada with his mother in 1977 at the age of 12. He attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute for high school, where he excelled in Canadian football
Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
, soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, and basketball. In the 1982–83 school year, he helped the school's AAA basketball team win the Ontario provincial championship.
Amateur career
Lewis eventually decided that his favourite sport was boxing. He took up boxing circa 1978. He became a dominant amateur boxer and won the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1983. At age 18, Lewis represented Canada in the super-heavyweight division at the1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
in Los Angeles. By that time he was ranked #6 in the world by the AIBA. 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. Despite being 6'5" tall, and having a very strong punch, his coaches admitted they had to pressure him to convert size and raw talent into aggression. His amateur boxing coaches were Arnie Boehm and Adrian Teodorescu, who guided Lewis to the Olympic title in 1988.
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 1986 World Championships, he lost in the preliminary round to Petar Stoimenov of Bulgaria. Later that year, Lewis won gold at the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
. He had a close fight against Cuban Jorge Luis González at the 1987 Pan American Games
The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...
super-heavyweight finals: the American judge scored the bout in favour of Lewis 60–57, while the judges from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Uruguay scored the bout 59–58 for González. He avenged the loss shortly thereafter, boxing for the North American amateur title eight days later.
After winning several more amateur titles in the following years, he travelled to Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea, for the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
and achieved his goal. In the gold medal final, Lewis defeated Riddick Bowe with a second-round referee stopped contest (RSC). Lewis became 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. Lewis became the first Canadian to win boxing gold in 56 years.
Lewis, upon turning professional, had registered an amateur record of 85–9. HBO Boxing credited him with a shorter amateur record of 75 wins (58 by knockout) and 7 losses. Of all losses on the record, Valeriy Abadzhyan of the Soviet Union was the only opponent to stop Lewis in amateurs, in October 1986.
After winning the Olympic gold, Lewis was approached immediately by big-time American boxing promoters, including Bob Arum. However, he was not overly impressed by their contract offers and thought about signing a professional contract with a Toronto-based promotion group. "I feel like a basketball player being scouted by scouts down in the States. I don't want anyone controlling me. These (offers) coming to me after the Olympics are mainly because I won the gold."
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, but one article reported that many British fans regarded him as "aCanadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
at heart and a Briton for convenience." 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."
Lewis signed with boxing promoter Frank Maloney and his early professional career was filled with knockouts of journeymen, as well as fighters such as Osvaldo Ocasio.
British, Commonwealth and European champion
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, and during this period he also defeated former WBA heavyweight champion Mike Weaver, 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Tyrell Biggs, former world cruiserweight title holders Glenn McCrory and trial horses Levi Billups and Mike Dixon. 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's 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."First reign as WBC heavyweight champion
The win over Ruddock made Lewis the mandatory challenger forRiddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
's heavyweight championship. Bowe held a press conference during which he threw his WBC title belt in a rubbish bin, relinquishing it to avoid a mandatory defence against Lewis. 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 Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson by knockout. 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.
Lewis vs. McCall
Lewis lost his WBC title to Oliver McCall on 24 September 1994 in a huge upset at theWembley Arena
Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...
in London. In the second round, McCall landed a powerful right cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
, 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. 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's 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's technical flaws, which included maintaining a more balanced stance, less reliance on his cross, and a focus on using a strong, authoritative jab; the latter of which would become a hallmark of Lewis's style throughout the rest of his career. Their partnership lasted until Lewis's retirement.Evans, Gavin (19 September 2005). ''Mama's Boy: Lennox Lewis and the Heavyweight Crown''. Highdown Publishing. .
Second reign as WBC heavyweight champion
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 gaveMike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
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, winning the minor IBC title. This was followed by a close majority decision win over Olympic gold medallist and former WBO champion Ray Mercer 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 have been Lewis's 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. After winning the WBA title from Seldon, Tyson relinquished the WBC title to fight Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
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
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
for the WBC title.
In one of the strangest fights in boxing history, McCall, who had 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 recrowned WBC champion, Lewis successfully defended the title in 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, who had recently outpointed George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...
in a controversial fight to win the lineal title in five rounds, 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.
Undisputed heavyweight champion
Lewis vs. Holyfield
On 13 March 1999, Lewis faced WBA and IBF title holderEvander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
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. Judge Eugenia Williams, who scored the fight in Holyfield's favour, said she saw Lewis land fewer punches than Holyfield.
Lewis vs. Holyfield II
The sanctioning bodies ordered a rematch. 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 Holyfield's 137, although 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 the three judges scored the fight unanimously (115–113, 116–112 and 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. Lewis did not view either bout withEvander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
as among his most difficult, but conceded Holyfield tested his limits more than any other boxer.
First reign as unified heavyweight champion
After Lewis defeated Holyfield the WBA ordered Lewis to defend the title against John Ruiz of Chelsea, Massachusetts, 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, whom he considered the best contender available. He successfully defended his WBC, IBO and 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 20-to-1 underdog Hasim Rahman in a bout at Carnival City Casino in South Africa. The main event actually took place on Sunday 22 April 2001 at 05:00 local time in order to accommodateHBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
s significant United States–based audience at a reasonable hour on the Saturday night. Before the bout, Lewis had a role in the film '' Ocean's Eleven'' in which he "boxed" against Wladimir Klitschko.
Second reign as unified heavyweight champion
Lewis vs. Rahman II
Lewis immediately sought a rematch with the new champion; Rahman, however, 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 onESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's Up Close, the fighters got into a brawl similar to the one between Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
and Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...
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 againstMike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
. 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
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. 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 licence 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 cross. After the fight, George Foreman declared, "He ewisis, no doubt, the best heavyweight of all time. What he's done clearly puts him on top of the heap."
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. Both fighters were guaranteed US$17.5 million.
Lewis vs. Klitschko
Lewis was forced to vacate the IBF title in 2002 after refusing to face mandatory challenger Chris Byrd. 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 thecard
Card or The Card may refer to:
Common uses
* Plastic cards of various types:
**Bank card
**Credit card
**Debit card
**Payment card
* Playing card, used in games
* Printed circuit board, or card
* Greeting card, given on special occasions
Arts an ...
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
Vitalii Volodymyrovych Klychko (; ; born 19 July 1971), known as Vitali Klitschko, is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He serves as mayor of Kyiv,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 (256 pounds). 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
Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
in California. The fight aired live on HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's '' World Championship Boxing'' with approximately 7 million viewers.
Interviewed about the fight by HBO, Dr. Paul Wallace explained his decision to stop the fight:
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. 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.Negotiations for the rematch followed but Lewis changed his mind. 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
In 2008 when asked about a potential bout after being antagonised byRiddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
, Lewis quipped
In 2011, Bowe again confronted Lewis, this time over Twitter, demanding he "put isgold medal on and let's fight for that!!", where Lewis remarked "I thought we already did."
Lewis worked as a boxing analyst for HBO on '' Boxing After Dark'' from 2006 until 2010.
Fighting style
Lewis was a classic upright boxer, who beat opponents from the outside with his dominant 213 cm (84 inch) 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. Criticised 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. Lewis eventually developed into one of the more complete heavyweights, able to box at range or fight aggressively when necessary, as well as being a hard puncher.Legacy
Lewis was the seventh Olympic gold medallist to become world heavyweight champion afterFloyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in his ...
, Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
, Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...
, George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...
, Leon Spinks, and Michael Spinks. 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
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
. He is also the only boxer to represent Canada at the Summer Olympics and subsequently win a professional world title. Lewis was the first boxer to hold the British heavyweight title and subsequently win a world title. Although three fighters have since repeated this feat ( Herbie Hide, Tyson Fury
Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...
, and Anthony Joshua
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
), only Lewis also won the Lonsdale belt outright.
While struggling to achieve popularity and respect earlier in his professional career, Lewis's 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's body of work eventually established him as the dominant heavyweight of his time. He was the last undisputed heavyweight champion, until May 2024, when Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (, ; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held the unified champion (boxing), unified heavyweight championship since 2021, and the ''The Ring (magazine), Ring'' magazine title since 2022 ...
defeated Tyson Fury.
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
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
relinquishing the title after failing to agree to defend the title against Lewis, who had become the mandatory challenger by defeating Donovan Ruddock
Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, ...
a few weeks earlier. In 2001, Lewis became the fourth boxer (after Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
, Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
and Michael Moorer
Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He won a world championship on four occasions in two weight classes, having held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 t ...
) to have held the world heavyweight championship on three occasions.
Lewis defeated 15 boxers for the world heavyweight title, the fifth-most in history. His combined three reigns tally 3,086 days (8 years, 5 months and 13 days), which ranks as the fourth-longest cumulative time spent as world heavyweight champion. His total of fourteen successful defences ranks as the fifth-highest in heavyweight history. At four years, two months and fifteen days, Lewis has the twelfth-longest reign in heavyweight championship history. As of December 2024, BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
ranks Lennox as the 55th greatest fighter of all time, pound for pound.
In 2018, ''Boxing News
''Boxing News'' is a British weekly boxing magazine published by iD Sports Media. It is the oldest boxing magazine still in publication.
History
John Murray, a regular contributor to ''Health & Strength'' magazine, convinced its owner, Bill Ber ...
'' ranked Lewis as the third-greatest heavyweight of all time, behind Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
and Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...
. While acknowledging that he could occasionally be vulnerable, the magazine stated that at his best, Lewis was as unbeatable as any heavyweight in history. In 2017, ''Boxing News
''Boxing News'' is a British weekly boxing magazine published by iD Sports Media. It is the oldest boxing magazine still in publication.
History
John Murray, a regular contributor to ''Health & Strength'' magazine, convinced its owner, Bill Ber ...
'' also ranked Lewis as the second best British fighter of all time, after Jimmy Wilde. In the same year, ''The Ring'' magazine ranked Lewis as both the greatest heavyweight of the last thirty years and the joint-eleventh greatest heavyweight of all time (alongside Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
), describing him as "a giant who fought with finesse" who beat every available contender. Thomas Hauser stated that the idea of Lewis having no chin
The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm.
Evolution
The presence of a we ...
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 33rd in their list of greatest punchers of all time.
Along with Ingemar Johansson
Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson (; 22 September 1932 – 30 January 2009) was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside ...
and Rocky Marciano, Lewis is one of three world heavyweight champions to have retired with victories over every opponent he faced as a professional. Unlike Johansson, who lost twice to Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in his ...
after winning their first bout, Lewis is the only heavyweight to have avenged all his in-ring defeats. He is also, along with Gene Tunney, Marciano and Vitali Klitschko
Vitalii Volodymyrovych Klychko (; ; born 19 July 1971), known as Vitali Klitschko, is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He serves as mayor of Kyiv,Fighter of the Year by the
In 2000, Lewis appeared on Reflection Eternal's debut album ''
CBZ Profile
(in Spanish) compiled by Pedro Cabrera Isidrón of the Cuban Olympics Committee.
Lewis' career in photos
at BBC Sport * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Lennox 1965 births Living people Actors from the London Borough of Newham BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners Black British male actors Black British sportsmen Black British television personalities Black Canadian boxers Black Canadian male actors Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Boxers at the 1987 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Boxers from London Boxing commentators Boxing people from Ontario British Boxing Board of Control champions Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Canadian male boxers Canadian male film actors Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent 21st-century Canadian philanthropists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Boxing Council champions Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada English emigrants to Canada English expatriate sportspeople in Canada English male actors English male boxers English male film actors English people of Jamaican descent English philanthropists European Boxing Union champions International Boxing Federation champions International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Male actors from London Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Members of the Order of Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Olympic boxers for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in boxing Pan American Games silver medalists in boxing Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Participants in American reality television series People from West Ham Boxers from the London Borough of Newham Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Super-heavyweight boxers Television personalities from the London Borough of Newham The Ring (magazine) champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions World heavyweight boxing champions Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in boxing
Boxing Writers Association of America
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a ...
, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...
. In 2009, in his first year of eligibility, Lewis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...
. He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Life outside boxing
In 2000, Lewis appeared on Reflection Eternal's debut album ''Train of Thought
The train of thought or track of thought refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to ...
'', 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
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWE) chairman Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
to take up professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
in his industry. His camp held discussions over a possible match with Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
in February 2003, at the No Way Out pay-per-view event. Prior to the offer Lewis was familiar with wrestling; he was part of the famous match held in the old Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
between The British Bulldog and Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
in 1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
, representing the Bulldog during his entrance while bearing a Union Flag
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags.
It is sometimes a ...
.
In 2002, Lewis played himself on an episode of ''The Jersey'' called "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Jersey".
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 World Series of Poker, 2006 and 2007 World Series of Poker, 2007, and was knocked out without winning any money.
Lewis appeared on NBC's ''The Apprentice (U.S. Season 7), Celebrity Apprentice'' in 2008. He came in fourth place (out of 14).
Lewis made a public service announcement against domestic violence for Do Something.
In 2011, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Ontario. He also has his own charitable foundation called the Lennox Lewis foundation which helps disadvantaged children in Canada, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Lewis is a supporter of his home town football club, West Ham United.
On 24 May 2018, Lewis was part of an Oval Office ceremony to announce the pardon of boxer Jack Johnson (boxer), Jack Johnson.
In 2024, Lewis joined fellow London boxers – Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn, and Chris Eubank – for a mini documentary, ''Four Kings''.
Personal life
Lewis is a Christian. He is an avid amateur chess player, and funded an after-school chess programme for disadvantaged youths, one of whom earned a university chess scholarship at Tennessee Tech. He holds both British people, British andCanadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
citizenship. He married Violet Chang in 2005 after his retirement from boxing and has four children.
Professional boxing record
Titles in boxing
Major world titles
* list of WBA world champions#Heavyweight, WBA heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) * list of WBC world champions#Heavyweight, WBC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (3×) * list of IBF world champions#Heavyweight, IBF heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (2×)''The Ring'' magazine titles
* list of The Ring world champions#Heavyweight, ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)Minor world titles
* list of boxing organizations#All List, IBCheavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
champion (200+ lbs)
* list of IBO world champions#Heavyweight, IBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (2×)
Regional/International titles
* Lonsdale Belt heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) * list of European Boxing Union champions#Heavyweight, European heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) * list of British heavyweight boxing champions, British heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) * list of Commonwealth Boxing Council champions#Heavyweight, Commonwealth heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)Undisputed titles
* list of undisputed world boxing champions#Heavyweight, Undisputed heavyweight championHonorary titles
* WBC Emeritus, WBC Emeritus ChampionPay-per-view bouts
United States
United Kingdom
Amateur bouts and tournaments
Ontario Junior Championships (75 kg), Toronto, Ontario, March 1980: * Lost toDonovan Ruddock
Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, ...
(Canada) by split decision, 2–3
Canadian Junior Championships (91 kg), Montreal, Quebec, May 1982:
* Lost to H. Thompson (Canada) by split decision, 2–3
BC Golden Gloves, British Columbia Golden Gloves (91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, May 1982:
* Defeated K. Hataway (Canada) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Invitation tournament (91 kg), Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
, June 1982:
* Defeated D. Walls (Canada) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Brantford, Ontario, July 1982:
* Defeated J. Mathiasen (Canada) RSC 1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Sarnia, Ontario, July 1982:
* Defeated G. Lamblon (Canada) RSC 1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Sudbury, Ontario, July 1982:
* Defeated I. Lewis (Canada) RSC 1
Commonwealth Games Eliminator (+91 kg), Winnipeg, Manitoba, July 1982:
* Defeated Barry Forbes (Canada) by majority decision, 4–1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, August 1982:
* Defeated I. Lewis (Canada) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, September 1982:
* Defeated M. Rome (Canada) by unanimous decision, 3–0
* Defeated B. Allan (Canada) RSC 2
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, October 1982:
* Defeated J. Corrigan (Canada) RSCH 3
USA–Canada Duals (+91 kg), Chicago, Illinois, January 1983:
* Defeated J. Valleyfield (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Canada Winter Games (+81 kg), Chicoutimi, Quebec, February 1983:
*Finals: Defeated Claude Courchesne (Canada) RSCH 1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Waterloo, Ontario, March 1983:
* Defeated B. Drift (Canada) by decision
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Hamilton, Ontario, June 1983:
* Defeated Larry Evans (Canada) by decision
II World Junior Boxing Championships, Junior World Championships (+91 kg), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 1983:
*1/4: Defeated Vincent Jones (United States) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*1/2: Defeated Durin Răcaru (Romania) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*Finals: Defeated Pedro Quesada (Cuba) by walkover
Canada–Finland Junior Duals (+91 kg), Oulu, Finland, September 1983:
* Defeated Jouni Kopola (Finland) by walkover
Canada–Sweden Junior Duals (+91 kg), Uppsala, Sweden, September 1983:
* Defeated Tommy Börzsei (Sweden) RSC 3
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Waterloo, Ontario, October 1983:
* Defeated Larry Evans (Canada) RSC 2
Stockholm Open Tournament (+91 kg), Stockholm, Sweden, January 1984:
* Defeated Bengt Cederquist (Sweden) by unanimous decision, 5–0
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Waterloo, Ontario, January 1984:
* Defeated D. Mills (Canada) by unanimous decision, 3–0
USA–Canada Duals (+91 kg), Edmonton, Alberta, February 1984:
* Defeated Craig Payne (United States) by split decision, 2–1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, February 1984:
* Defeated J. Singletary (Canada) RSC 2
Canadian Senior Championships (+91 kg), Trois Rivieres, Quebec, April 1984:
*1/4: Defeated Don Stevenson (Canada) RSCH 1
*1/2: Defeated Barry Forbes (Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*Finals: Defeated Vernon Linklater (Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0
Olympic Box-offs (+91 kg), Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 1984:
* Defeated Vernon Linklater (Canada) by walkover
Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Super heavyweight, XXIII Summer Olympics (+91 kg), Los Angeles, California, August 1984:
*1/8: Defeated Mohammad Yousuf (boxer), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) RSCH 3
*1/4: Lost to Tyrell Biggs (United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5
Britain–Canada Duals (+91 kg), Milton Keynes, England, October 1984:
* Defeated Robert Wells (boxer), Robert Wells (England) KO 3
USA–Canada Duals (+91 kg), Orlando, Florida, December 1984:
* Defeated Nathaniel Fitch (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Canadian Senior Championships (+91 kg), Medicine Hat, Alberta, March 1985:
*1/4: Defeated Joe Stack (Canada) RET 1
*1/2: Defeated J. Horton (Canada) RET 2
*Finals: Defeated Brian Lansing (Canada) RSCH 1
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
, April 1985:
* Defeated M. Jarvin (United States) RET 2
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), London, Ontario, May 1985:
* Defeated R. Garrison (United States) RSC 2
XI Albena Open Tournament (+91 kg), Albena, Bulgaria, June 1985:
*Finals: Defeated Milan Turek (Czech Republic) RET 1
North American Championships (+91 kg), Beaumont, Texas, August 1985:
*1/2: Defeated Kimmuel Odum (United States) by decision
*Finals: Defeated Isaac Barrientos (Puerto Rico) by majority decision, 4–1
III Boxing World Cup, World Cup (+91 kg), Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea, November 1985:
*1/2: Defeated Juan Antonio Díaz Nieves (Argentina) RET 1
*Finals: Lost to Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 0–5
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, January 1986:
* Defeated A. White (United States) by unanimous decision, 5–0
Canadian Senior Championships (+91 kg), Cornwall, Ontario, March 1986:
*1/2: Defeated Sandy Hervieux (Canada) RET 2
*Finals: Defeated Wade Parsons (Canada) DQ 2
World Champ Box-Offs (+91 kg), Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, April 1986:
* Defeated Wade Parsons (Canada) by walkover
1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships, World Championships (+91 kg), Reno, Nevada, May 1986:
*1/8: Lost to Petar Stoimenov (Bulgaria) by split decision, 2–3
Invitation tournament (+91 kg), Bay City, Michigan, Bay City, USA, July 1986:
* Lost to Jonathan Littles (United States) by split decision, 1–2
* Defeated J. Davidson (United States) RSC 2
Boxing at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, XIII Commonwealth Games (+91 kg), Edinburgh, Scotland, July 1986:
*1/2: Defeated James Oyebola (England) RSCH 2
*Finals: Defeated Aneurin Evans (Wales) RSC 2
TSC Tournament (+91 kg), East Berlin, East Germany, September 1986:
*1/4: Lost to Valeriy Abadzhyan (Soviet Union) RSC 3
*3rd place bouts: Lost to Ladislav Husarik (Czechoslovakia) by walkover
Quebec Cup (+91 kg), Montreal, Quebec, December 1986:
*Finals: Defeated Sandy Hervieux (Canada) RSC 2
Stockholm Open (+91 kg), Stockholm, Sweden, January 1987:
*1/2: Defeated Håkan Brock (Sweden) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*Finals: Defeated Aleksander Burmistrov (Bulgaria) KO 3
Canadian Senior Championships (+91 kg), Oromocto, New Brunswick, April 1987:
*1/2: Defeated Sandy Hervieux (Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*Finals: Defeated K. Russell (Canada) RET 2
French Open (+91 kg), Saint-Nazaire, France, April 1987:
*Finals: Defeated István Szikora (Hungary) by unanimous decision, 5–0
Pan Am Box-Offs (+91 kg), Ottawa, Ontario, May 1987:
* Defeated Sandy Hervieux (Canada) RSC 1
Boxing at the 1987 Pan American Games, Pan American Games (+91 kg), Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1987:
*1/2: Defeated Carlos Barcelete (Brazil) KO 2
*Finals: Lost to Jorge Luis González (Cuba) by majority decision, 1–4
North American Championships (+91 kg), Toronto, Ontario, August 1987:
*Finals: Defeated Jorge Luis González (Cuba) by split decision, 2–1
IV Boxing World Cup, World Cup (+91 kg), Belgrade, Yugoslavia, October 1987:
*1/4: Lost to Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by split decision, 2–3
Feliks Stamm Memorial (+91 kg), Warsaw, Poland, November 1987:
*1/2: Defeated Nathaniel Fitch (United States) KO 2
*Finals: Defeated Marian Klepka (Poland) RET 2
Canadian Senior Championships (101 kg), Edmonton, Alberta, March 1988:
*Finals: Defeated Richard Ayotte (Canada) RET 1
Intercup (+91 kg), Karlsruhe, West Germany, April 1988:
*1/4: Defeated Crispine Odera (Kenya) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*1/2: Defeated Petar Stoimenov (Bulgaria) by split decision, 3–2
*Finals: Lost to Aleksandr Miroshnichenko (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 0–5
Canada Cup (+91 kg), Ottawa, Ontario, June 1988:
*Finals: Defeated Elton Wright (United States) RET 1
Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Super heavyweight, XXIV Summer Olympics (+91 kg), Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea, September–October 1988:
*1/8: Defeated Crispine Odera (Kenya) RSCH 2
*1/4: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) RSCH 1
*1/2: Defeated Janusz Zarenkiewicz (Poland) by walkover
*Finals: Defeated Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
(United States) RSC 2
Honours
*Lennox Lewis, CM (1988–1998) *Lennox Lewis, CM, MBE (1998–2002) *Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (2002–present)See also
*List of heavyweight boxing champions *List of WBA world champions *List of WBC world champions *List of IBF world champions *List of IBO world champions *List of The Ring world champions, List of ''The Ring'' world champions *List of British heavyweight boxing champions *List of European Boxing Union heavyweight champions *List of undisputed boxing champions *List of Canadian sports personalitiesNotes
References
External links
* *CBZ Profile
(in Spanish) compiled by Pedro Cabrera Isidrón of the Cuban Olympics Committee.
Lewis' career in photos
at BBC Sport * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Lennox 1965 births Living people Actors from the London Borough of Newham BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners Black British male actors Black British sportsmen Black British television personalities Black Canadian boxers Black Canadian male actors Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Boxers at the 1987 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Boxers from London Boxing commentators Boxing people from Ontario British Boxing Board of Control champions Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Canadian male boxers Canadian male film actors Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent 21st-century Canadian philanthropists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Boxing Council champions Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada English emigrants to Canada English expatriate sportspeople in Canada English male actors English male boxers English male film actors English people of Jamaican descent English philanthropists European Boxing Union champions International Boxing Federation champions International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Male actors from London Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Members of the Order of Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Olympic boxers for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in boxing Pan American Games silver medalists in boxing Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Participants in American reality television series People from West Ham Boxers from the London Borough of Newham Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Super-heavyweight boxers Television personalities from the London Borough of Newham The Ring (magazine) champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions World heavyweight boxing champions Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in boxing