The soul-diva Aretha Frankin sang about having “a little”.
Three-time and twice lineal world heavyweight champion Lennox Claudius Lewis deserves it, and he definitely commands it. Those who continue to attend his British ‘meet and greet’ tour will listen attentively to his story and achievements and be impressed, as ever, with his class and humility. This is how champions and heroes should be.
His achievements are considerable;
Prior to May 2024 and the crowning of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion. That barren period dated back to November 1999 when Lennox defeated former co-three-time champion Evander Holyfield after a controversial draw in their first meeting in March of that year. Lewis should have rightly been awarded the title then.
The rematch decision victory finally capped a boxing career that saw him originally climb the mountain in the amateur code by competing in two Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988), winning super-heavyweight gold in the latter.
Moving onto the professional ranks in June 1989, basing himself in the UK and defeating Al Malcolm, he gathered the British, Commonwealth and European titles inside two years, capped by a stoppage of dual champion Gary Mason.
Lennox went on to compile a career record of 41-2-1 (32 KOs) and amassed this with notable victories over Holyfield, Mike Tyson and a string of young contenders. His two defeats against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman were both avenged in emphatic fashion.
When I first saw him address an audience in 2018, an attendee – ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, himself a notable world champion at in a much lower weight class, referred to Lewis as “The King”. Their careers crossed during the peak years for both, and they jointly flew the Union flag across the boxing world, particularly the USA.
Lewis was one of the great heavyweights at the turn of the 21st century and is considered as the greatest born in the UK (that being West Ham in east London) and, although he emigrated at a young age and competed for Canada in the Olympics, is widely regarded by boxing fans as an ‘honorary’ Brit. He in fact has dual-nationality.
His accomplishments far outweigh any discussion on his naturalisation. He will go down as one of the great heavyweights and it’s a continuing debate on his place in the top ten greatest of all time. If not within it, he’s in the mix. He famously referred to being the only man standing when he entered a room with the fellow tough men (heavyweights) of his era. This he certainly was.
Last night in Maidstone, England, Lennox held court and captivated an audience with his career tales. He was lucid and sprightly enough to demonstrate the footwork and straight jab that provided the foundation for the success of his career. he also paid homage to major influences and mentors like famed trainer/Kronk gym founder Emanuel Steward and some of his illustrious battles in the ring.
His Goldstar tour continues in the UK, catch it while you can.
The Undisputed 