Lennox Lewis: Boxing
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE, (born: September 2, 1965) is a retired professional boxer. He was the first British boxer to hold the undisputed world heavyweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons. Lewis holds dual citizenship – British and Canadian. He won gold as an amateur representing Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games. He turned pro in 1989 and won his first 21 fights before he knocked out Donovan Ruddock in 1992.
He lost and regained the WBC heavyweight champion several times and defended it against Mike Tyson. In 2000, he was taken out of the World Boxing Association portion of his title after a legal disagreement. After three years, he retired from his profession. Lennox Lewis became one of the three champions to retire with no unavenged defeats.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
BoxRec rated Lewis as the number one pound-for-pound best British boxer of all time. In 2002, he successfully defended his title against Mike Tyson. He knocked Tyson with relative ease in that fight promoted historic match up.
Lewis was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of The British Empire) in 1999 Queen’s New Years honors List and the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2002 Queen’s Birthday honors List for his services to boxing. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility.
Why Was He So Good?
Lennox Lewis fought with a motivation and focus that only arose when he was against an opponent that he considers being praiseworthy. He is the personification of the heavyweight destroyer. He proved that his right can absolutely annihilate any heavyweight he can hit cleanly with it. His jab was like a hammer that if he pounded it into his foe, he can leave the ringside announcers screaming timber.
What You May Not Know
- After a TKO victory against Vitali Klitschko in 2004, he announced his retirement from the sport stating he “had nothing left to prove.”
- Lennox Lewis’ net worth is estimated to be $147 million.
- When he retired, he pursued his other interests including sports management and music promotion.
Lennox Lewis currently lives in Jamaica. - Growing up, he also excelled in other sports such as basketball, football and soccer.
Related Pages
- More Boxer Profiles
- About Boxing
- Athlete Database home
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