Marty Tulley - Lennox Lewis: A Pugilistic History

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2017

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Lennox Lewis, 2017

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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library

Print ISBN 978-1-78531-329-5
eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-364-6

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In memory of James, John,
Edward, Bill and Harry Tulley.
All of whom definitely knew a
left hook from a right cross.

Although in several of Lewiss world title contests there may also have been lesser-known versions of the championship at stake, only the main governing bodies have been listed in both the book text and his official career record.

Please note: In August 2014, Lewiss former manager Frank Maloney announced that he intended to undergo gender reassignment and would subsequently become known as Kellie Maloney. However, to avoid any unnecessary confusion, throughout this book the name of Frank Maloney will be used in reference to this person because that is the name she was known by at that time.

W HEN an English-born 23-year-old wearing a Canadian vest won the super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in October 1988, few could have imagined that he would go on to be ranked alongside the greatest heavyweights of all time. His name was Lennox Lewis.

No sooner had he beaten the highly rated American Riddick Bowe in the final at the Chamsil Students Gymnasium than Lewis was being courted by many of the worlds top managers and promoters, particularly in the United States.

So it was a big surprise when Lewis decided to turn professional in the land of his birth and even more surprising that he did so under the guidance of Frank Maloney, then a relatively obscure figure in the world of big-time boxing.

On 27 June 1989, eight months after his Olympic triumph, Lewis beat a journeyman fighter named Al Malcolm in London to launch what was to become an eventful and at times rocky 14-year journey.

It was an odyssey that would see Lewis go on to win the British, Commonwealth and European titles, and take him all the way to the pinnacle of his sport as a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. Lewis ended his career universally regarded as the best heavyweight of his generation.

But like all journeys, it was not always smooth. Along the way, he encountered his share of battles, setbacks and controversies, both inside and outside of the ring. The aim of this book is not to deliver an unofficial biography of Lewiss life but concentrate on his fights in the ring, giving an in-depth history of the self-proclaimed Pugilist Specialist that was Lennox Lewis.

B ORN in Stratford, east London, England on 2 September 1965, Lennox Claudius Lewis was the second son of Violet Lewis. She had moved to London from her native Jamaica nine years earlier in search of a better life. Lennox and his older brother Dennis were born to two separate fathers and Violet decided to bring up her boys alone. As a single parent who also held down a nursing job at East Ham General Hospital, times were hard. Later, it was agreed that to ease Violets burden Dennis would go and live with his father whilst Lennox remained with her.

Violet eventually travelled to America, where she spent a year in Chicago. Although many of her friends from Jamaica had settled there she did not qualify for a green card, which meant she was unable to work legally in the United States. As a result, she found it difficult to make any sort of life for herself. When she received news that Lennox, who had remained in London with his aunt Gee, had got into trouble fighting at school, she left Chicago and returned to London.

Later, Violet decided to leave England for a second time and try her luck in Kitchener, a manufacturing city in Ontario, Canada. On this occasion, though, she took the young Lennox with her.

Initially, things went well. Violet found a job in a factory, although her immigrant status meant she was forced to pay the full fees for Lennoxs schooling. Combined with other factors, it became a struggle to get by.

It was decided that Lennox, who was still only seven and had only been in Canada for six months, should return to his aunt Gee in London until his mother got on her feet. He could then rejoin her in Kitchener, a place he loved.

Lennoxs return took longer than expected. He spent five years in England, during which time he was forced to attend two separate boarding establishments for children considered unruly and troublesome. But Lennox also re-established his relationship with his brother and finally, at the age of 12, with his mother settled in Kitchener, he was reunited with her.

Upon his return to Canada, Lennox became friendly with a boy named Andrew Powis and with him began boxing at the Waterloo Police Boxing Association Gymnasium, run by a sergeant called Jerome McComb.

Eventually, Lennox was trained by a man named Arnie Boehm and under his guidance he became a skilful amateur boxer. Not only was Lennox naturally talented, he was also extremely dedicated. He never shirked training and was always willing to listen and learn.

He was later helped in his amateur career by a Romanian-born coach named Adrian Teodorescu, who was initially appointed as coach to the Canadian national boxing team before subsequently being promoted to head coach for the Canadian Seoul Olympic squad.

Lennox would eventually go on to enjoy a successful unpaid career, which saw him become the most celebrated fighter in the countrys amateur boxing history.

In November 1983, the then 18-year-old Lennox travelled to San Domingo in the Dominican Republic to take gold at the World Junior Championships. The following year, Lennox also represented Canada in the super-heavyweight division at the Los Angeles Olympics, going out in the second round to eventual winner Tyrell Biggs (who he later beat as a professional).