WBC Champion: Lennox Lewis

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Lennox Lewis of Great Britain shows off his IBO, WBC and WBA title belts during a feature shoot in London.

On June 8th, 2002 Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson met at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis. It was the biggest fight in the history of boxing. Lennox Lewis seized on this opportunity with an eight round KO demolishing of Tyson. His legacy continues...

Lennox was born in England and moved to Canada at the age of 12 and took up the art of pugilism where Arnie Boehm his coach, friend and father figure overlooked his amateur career of 95-9 (52 by stoppage). He always avenged his defeats when presented with the opportunity.

At High School, Lennox excelled at many sports including basketball, volleyball, track and field, American football, soccer and of course boxing. After losing a football game at school Lennox said, “I refuse to cry – I’ve got bigger things to come. There’s a lot more for me to achieve in life than this little high-school championship.” He knows exactly what he wants and how he is going to get it, says his long-time friend and physical conditioner Courtney Shand.

Lennox is a diligent vigorous trainer of the sweet science of boxing and big things started with his first gold medal win at the World Junior Championship in 1983 and in 1984 won silver medal at the Olympics. A tremendous athlete, he rejected the financial temptations to ascend to gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Turning professional in 1989, he went on to win the European title in 1990 against Jean Chanet and followed this up with the British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship in 1992 against Derek Williams.

Lennox Lewis holds his trophy after winning Boxing award at the 2000 World Sports Awards ceremony at The Royal Albert Hall, London

Lennox Lewis was officially crowned WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World on 14th January 1993 when he also became the first British Heavyweight World Champion this Century!

Lennox has successfully defended his title against the American No. 1 challenger 'Tony Tucker' in Las Vegas and stopped the Briton 'Frank Bruno' in seven rounds at Cardiff Arms Park, Wales, in the same fashion that Mike Tyson had done a year earlier. In September 1994 Lennox unexpectedly lost his WBC Title to what many experts have called a lucky punch thrown by Oliver McCall of the USA at Wembley Stadium in London.

On 7th February 1997, Lennox Lewis became the first British boxer to regain the world title when he defeated Oliver McCall, for the World Boxing Council Heavyweight Title. Taking on all comers with defences against Andrew Golota, Tommy Morrison, Henry Akinwande, Evander Holyfield, Frans Botha and David Tua to name a few.

The Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Lennox Lewis, rung out in the auditorium after the rematch with Evander Holyfield in November 1999. The first fight was a draw; an outright ‘robbery’ but the dignified way in which Lennox dealt with it won him worldwide media attention and new fans on both sides of the Atlantic. This proved to be a defining moment in Lennox's career.

In April 2001, South Africa witnessed the fall of Lennox Lewis when he faced Hasim Rahman only to rise from the ashes. This was merely a trip and he turned the world around on its head by avenging the loss to Hasim ‘Has-Been’ Rahman. He showed great character to come back.

Lennox Lewis has taken the sport, the title, back to a world of elegance and sportsmanship –that old-fashioned world that he understands quite well. It’s all about respect. He is a beautiful champion. Lewis is 10-2-1 against men who have at one point or another in their careers held the IBF, WBA, WBC or WBO title.