Lennox Lewis: Olympic gold, Holyfield, Tyson and 41 wins from 44 fights | Ultimate Boxing Reunion

Why fans still care

LENNOX LEWIS lost twice in 44 professional fights, and he avenged both defeats. He beat Evander Holyfield, Who’s Who number 31 (story coming soon) to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, knocked out Mike Tyson, Who’s Who number 34 in the eighth round, and retired in 2004 with the title still his.

His 1999 draw with Holyfield in New York is still called controversial. His critics called him cautious. He answered that in the ring with his jab.

Early life

He was born Lennox Claudius Lewis in West Ham, London, on 2 September 1965. His family has Jamaican ancestry, and in his retirement speech he called Jamaica “my ancestral home”. The International Boxing Hall of Fame says West Ham, and he is written here as born in London because one UPI report gives a different suburb.

The family moved to Kitchener, Ontario, when he was 12. He began boxing at the Kitchener-Waterloo Regional Boxing Association, and Arnie Boehm bought his first headgear and gloves when he was 15. His early coaches there were Boehm and Jerome “Hook” McComb. Later his amateur coach was Adrian Teodorescu, who worked with him through the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. He finished with an amateur record of 85 wins and 9 losses.

The early fights

He lost to Tyrell Biggs in the 1984 Olympic quarter-final, and four years later he went back for gold. In Seoul in 1988 he reached the super heavyweight final by a semi-final walkover. There, on 1 October, he met Riddick Bowe. At the start of round 2 Lewis rocked Bowe and the referee gave him a standing eight count. Then a right to the head landed. Bowe raised his hands to show he was fine, but the referee stopped it at 0:43 of round 2. Lewis was 23. He was the first Canadian to win an Olympic boxing gold medal since Horace “Lefty” Gwynne in 1932.

He turned professional after the Games. He won the European title in 1990, and his manager was Frank Maloney. His first professional mentor was John Davenport. Pepe Correa took over after Davenport, hired after the Billups fight in February 1992.

Career chapters

1. 1988Stops Riddick Bowe in round 2 to win Olympic super heavyweight gold for Canada
2. 1990Wins the European title
3. 1992Stops Donovan Ruddock in round 2, and is awarded the vacant WBC title in December
4. 1993Beats Tony Tucker on a unanimous decision, then stops Frank Bruno in round 7
5. 1994Loses the WBC title to Oliver McCall in round 2
6. 1995Emanuel Steward becomes his trainer in January, and Lewis stops Tommy Morrison, Who’s Who number 25 (story coming soon) in round 6
7. 1997Regains the WBC title when Oliver McCall breaks down in round 5
8. 1999Draws with and then beats Evander Holyfield, Who’s Who number 31 (story coming soon) to become undisputed champion
9. 2001Loses to Hasim Rahman in round 5, then knocks him out in round 4 to regain the titles
10. 2002Knocks out Mike Tyson, Who’s Who number 34 in round 8
11. 2003Beats Vitali Klitschko when the fight is stopped on a cut after round 6
12. 2004Retires as champion

Donovan Ruddock 31 October 1992

On 31 October 1992 he fought Donovan “Razor” Ruddock at Earls Court in London. Ruddock was the WBC’s number one contender and Lewis was the underdog. Lewis knocked him down with a right cross with 10 seconds left in round 1, and put him down twice more in round 2. The referee, Joe Cortez, stopped it. Bowe, who had won the title from Holyfield on 13 November, then refused to fight Lewis and put the WBC belt in a bin, so the WBC awarded it to Lewis. UPI says it was handed to him in December 1992.

Tony Tucker 8 May 1993

On 8 May 1993 he made his first defence against Tony Tucker at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Both men were 6 ft 5 in and about 235 pounds. Lewis knocked Tucker down in rounds 3 and 9 and won a unanimous decision, 116 to 111, 118 to 111 and 116 to 112. His record was 23 wins and no losses, 19 by knockout. UPI noted that he was the first British heavyweight champion of the 20th century.

Frank Bruno 1 October 1993

On 1 October 1993 he fought Frank Bruno outdoors in the rain in Cardiff. The referee was Mickey Vann. Bruno led 59 to 55 on one card at the stoppage, and the other two had it 57 to 57. Then a left hook and a flurry from Lewis ended it at 72 seconds of round 7, by Boxing News’ count.

Oliver McCall, the first fight 24 September 1994

On 24 September 1994 he lost the WBC title at Wembley Arena in London. Oliver McCall was a 5 to 1 underdog. A right hook put Lewis down in round 2, he was up at six, and the referee, José Guadalupe Garcia, stopped it. Lewis protested the stoppage. Emanuel Steward was in McCall’s corner that night. Lewis then dropped Correa and hired Steward, who was named his trainer in January 1995.

Tommy Morrison 7 October 1995

On 7 October 1995 he stopped Tommy Morrison, Who’s Who number 25 (story coming soon) in round 6 in Atlantic City. He put Morrison down four times, two of them in round 6, and the referee, Mills Lane, stopped it.

Oliver McCall, the second fight 7 February 1997

On 7 February 1997 he fought McCall again at the Las Vegas Hilton for the vacant WBC title, which Tyson had given up. After round 3, McCall refused to go to his corner. He wandered the ring and wept, and in round 5 the referee, Mills Lane, stopped it 55 seconds in. Lewis weighed 251 pounds and McCall 237. Lane said, “It was almost like he wanted to be knocked out.” The record books list it as a fifth round TKO. The AP reported it as a disqualification.

Henry Akinwande and Andrew Golota 1997

On 12 July 1997 Henry Akinwande was disqualified for holding at 2:34 of round 5 at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. The referee was Mills Lane, who had warned him six times and taken a point off in round 2. On 4 October 1997 Lewis knocked out Andrew Golota in 95 seconds, with two knockdowns.

Evander Holyfield, the first fight 13 March 1999

On 13 March 1999 he fought Evander Holyfield, Who’s Who number 31 (story coming soon) at Madison Square Garden in front of 21,284 people. The purses were $20 million for Holyfield and $10 million for Lewis. CompuBox had Lewis landing 348 of 613 punches and Holyfield about 130 of 385. The judges called it a draw: Williams had it 115 to 113 for Holyfield, Christodoulou 116 to 113 for Lewis, and O’Connell 115 to 115. The AP scored it 117 to 111 for Lewis. Lewis said afterwards, “It was my time to shine and they ripped me off.” Steward said, “He controlled the fight. It wasn’t even close.”

Evander Holyfield, the second fight 13 November 1999

On 13 November 1999 they met again at the Thomas & Mack Center. The referee was Mitch Halpern. Lewis won a unanimous decision over 12 rounds: Giampa had it 116 to 112, Graham 117 to 111 and Roth 115 to 113. CompuBox had it 195 to 137 for Lewis. Each man earned $15 million. The IBF belt was held back in a $300,000 fee dispute and handed over a few days later. Lewis was 35 and 1 and 1, and he was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Bowe in 1992.

Hasim Rahman 22 April 2001 and 17 November 2001

On 22 April 2001 he lost his titles to Hasim Rahman, who knocked him out in round 5 at Brakpan in South Africa. Lewis said the referee counted too fast and that it was a lucky punch. Reuters wrote that this was “not supported by the facts”. He called himself “humiliated” and said, “This is just a math question for me.”

Mandela encouraged him after the loss. For the rematch on 17 November 2001 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, he practised a left jab, left jab, right cross combination on Steward’s pads at Caesars Brookdale in the Poconos. In round 4 a left hook and then a right cross knocked Rahman out and returned the titles to him.

Mike Tyson 8 June 2002

On 8 June 2002 he fought Mike Tyson, Who’s Who number 34 at The Pyramid in Memphis. Las Vegas had refused to host it, and Memphis bid $12 million. Lewis weighed 249¼ pounds and Tyson 234½. The crowd was 15,327 and each man made about $20 million.

Lewis lost a point in round 4 for holding, and the judges gave Tyson only round 1. Lewis landed 193 of 328 punches and Tyson 49 of 211. The referee, Eddie Cotton, stopped it at 2:25 of round 8. Lewis said, “What more do you guys want me to do?”

Vitali Klitschko 21 June 2003

On 21 June 2003 he fought Vitali Klitschko at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on about two weeks’ notice. At 256½ pounds it was the heaviest he ever weighed. In front of 15,939 people, the ringside doctor, Paul Wallace, stopped it after round 6 because of a cut over Klitschko’s eye, with Lou Moret the referee. All three judges had Klitschko ahead, 58 to 56. The AP scored it 58 to 56 for Lewis. Lewis said, “If the fight went on, I would have knocked him out.”

It was his last fight.

Retirement 6 February 2004

He announced his retirement on 6 February 2004, aged 38, as champion. He said, “I didn’t want to be known as a boxer all my life.” The Deseret News noted that few heavyweight champions have walked away on top and stayed away.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fought

He was 6 ft 5 in and fought behind a long left jab, then the right hand. “Nobody gets away from my jab,” he said in 2002. Before the Tyson fight, ESPN’s Tim Graham wrote that fans might see “the passive version who clinched his way through both Holyfield fights, or the wrecking ball that obliterated Golota and Grant”. Steward added a left hook and uppercuts to his work.

Training

Arnie Boehm and Jerome “Hook” McComb coached him in Kitchener from the age of 15. Adrian Teodorescu was his amateur coach for the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, and came back briefly around the first Holyfield fight. Courtney Shand was his conditioner, and Harold Knight was an assistant trainer.

The corner

Emanuel Steward took over in January 1995, after being in McCall’s corner on the night McCall beat Lewis. Steward said in 2002 that he first got involved with Lewis in 1994, and his words on the Tyson fight are printed below.

Stories people still tell

1. The fight McCall walked away from.

   In 1997, McCall would not go back to his corner after round 3 and walked around the ring in tears. Mills Lane stopped it in round 5. Lane said it was almost as if he wanted to be knocked out.

2. The chess set.

   Lewis sponsored the chess team at Oakhaven Elementary, and he lost a news conference game to 13-year-old Carlos Harbert in 2002. Before the Rahman rematch, Reuters reported, Steward hid the chess set. In his retirement speech Lewis thanked his team for helping him “play chess a little better”.

3. A draw in New York.

   The first Holyfield fight was the highest grossing fight in the history of Madison Square Garden, according to the Hall of Fame. It finished as a draw, and they met again in November.

Legacy

He won 41 of 44 fights, 32 by knockout, and held the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. He regained the title after both of his defeats, and he retired as champion on 6 February 2004. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009, in his first year of eligibility. Anthony Joshua credits him with advice at the 2012 Olympics: he “told me to back up with the jab”.