Lennox Lewis Enters WBC Hall of Fame
Former World Champion Joins the Likes of Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray
Lewis, 43, retired from boxing in 2004 with a record of 41 wins, 2 defeats and one controversial draw to Evander Holyfield in 1999. He was champion of the world on three different occasions and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time.
The London born fighter joins an elite list of names in the hall, including Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard. All of whom he watched and admired growing up in England and later Canada, where he emigrated at the age of 12. It was here that Lewis learned the art of boxing under the careful guidance of coach, Arnie Boehm.
WBC heavyweight champion
Affectionately known as the ‘emperor of boxing’, Lewis was first crowned WBC Heavyweight champion of the world in 1993 as a successor to Riddick Bowe, who he also beat to the Gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
After three successful defenses of his world title, Lewis was unexpectedly knocked out in the second round by Oliver McCall and a punch that many experts described as ‘lucky’ back in 1994.
However, Lennox ‘the Lion’ Lewis got his revenge three years later when the pair met in a rematch for the vacant WBC title, after Mike Tyson was stripped of its glory for refusing to face the British-Canadian. The fight was stopped in the fifth round, awarding Lewis the victory and his second world title.
The next few years saw challengers come and go as Lewis dominated the division, including several impressive victories against the likes of Tommy Morrison, David Toa and Francois Botha to name just a few.
Evander Holyfield
In amongst his victorious title defenses was the controversial bout with Evander Holyfield which famously concluded in a draw, even though many analysts believed Lewis to be the winner.
A rematch was scheduled for Las Vegas eight months later, ending in a unanimous point’s victory for the British heavyweight.
2001 saw Hasim Rahman inflict the second and final defeat of Lewis’ career as the 15-1 under-dog shocked the world with a fifth-round knockout. The loss led to fans and pundits alike questioning the fighter’s heart, with many pointing to unnecessary distractions such as his cameo role in the motion picture ‘Oceans 11’, which was filmed directly before the bout.
In the build up to the much hyped re-match, Lewis was likened to a man on a mission and showed the world the size of his heart by knocking out the American in devastating fashion midway through the fourth round of a completely one-sided contest.
Biggest fight in sporting history
His penultimate fight in June 2002 was promoted as the biggest fight in sporting history. It was an event that finally saw Lewis stand toe to toe with one of the most acclaimed and controversial heavyweights of all time, Mike Tyson.
The clash was billed as a potential classic. But in reality, there was only going to be one outcome from the moment the opening round bell rang to the count of ten in the eighth. The great ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson was no more and was taught a boxing lesson as Lewis’ superior reach and jab proved too much for the infamous American.
The victory silenced any remaining critics and announced the British-Canadian as the best heavyweight boxer on the planet and elevated him up to the legendary levels of those before him, such as Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
After flirting with retirement for the next year, Lewis decided his love affair with boxing was not over yet and agreed to fight fellow Canadian Kirk Johnson in LA. However, with just two weeks to go until the big fight, Johnson was forced to pull out with injury prompting current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko to step in.
With just ten days to prepare, the fight was a potential banana skin, but the bout went ahead anyway ending in a 6th TKO victory for Lewis who, eight months later, decided to retire whilst still on top of his game and his reputation intact.
Lennox Lewis to return?
The heavyweight division has struggled since in his absence, leading to talk of a comeback following the successful return of Vitali Klitschko.
Vitali, the elder of the two Klitschko brothers, claims a clause in the contract from his 2003 defeat to Lewis stated that a rematch is available to him should he request it, leading to the Ukrainian calling Lewis out of retirement.
Perhaps the induction into the WBC Hall of Fame will remind the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world just how much boxing loves him and make him seriously consider the question… Is it time for Lennox Lewis to return?
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