Lennox Claudius Lewis born 2 September is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from to He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Lewis is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and one of the greatest British boxers of all time.
In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional heavyweight championships, including the European , British , and Commonwealth titles. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title, refusing to defend it against Lewis.
He defended the title three times before an upset knockout loss to Oliver McCall in Lewis avenged the loss in a rematch to regain the vacant WBC title. Similarly, the IBF stripped Lewis of their title in when he chose not to face their mandatory challenger Chris Byrd.
In , Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in one of the most highly anticipated fights in boxing history. Prior to the event, Lewis was awarded the Ring magazine heavyweight title, which had been discontinued in the late s. In what would be his final fight, Lewis defeated Vitali Klitschko by stoppage in He vacated his remaining titles and retired from boxing in Lewis was born on 2 September in West Ham , London, to Jamaican parents and according to his mother, he would often fight with other children growing up.
He attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute for high school, where he excelled in Canadian football , soccer , and basketball. Lewis eventually decided that his favourite sport was boxing. He took up boxing circa By that time he was ranked 6 in the world by the AIBA.
