interview with lennox lewis
from the guardian newspaper
April 16, 2006
Lennox Lewis was the greatest heavyweight of his generation and he got out with his reputation intact. He talks to Thomas Hauser about his toughest fights, the sport's decline, his new family - and his first big movie role.
VERY few fighters end their careers at the right time. On a cold wintry day in January 2004, Lennox Lewis was asking himself, "Is this the right time?"
His rise to prominence had an inspirational tone. Born to a single mother in London's East End in 1965, he had endured a difficult childhood that included a five-year separation from his mum, to whom he remains very close, while she built a new life for herself in Canada.
Mother and son were reunited when Lewis was 12. He went on to win a gold medal for Canada in the super-heavyweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and, fighting under a British flag, to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The high point of his career was an eight-round demolition of Mike Tyson on June 8, 2002. But since that fight, Lewis had entered the ring only once, beating Vitali Klitschko on cuts in June 2003. Klitschko had been ahead on points at the time of the stoppage.
Lewis and I sat together on that wintry day in January 2004. "I want to ask you something," he said. "If I retire now without fighting Klitschko again, do you think it will hurt my legacy?"
"No," I replied. "Your legacy is secure. You beat Klitschko. He didn't get those cuts from the referee.
"You'll be remembered forever as the best heavyweight of your time and the man who broke the American stranglehold on the heavyweight division.
"And if you retire now, you'll be one of three heavyweight champions in history who retired while still champion and stayed retired."
Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney were the others.
One month later, Lewis retired from boxing. "I am announcing the end of an important chapter of my life and the beginning of a new one," he said.
"During the past 23 years, I have set a number of goals for myself and I'm proud to say that these goals have been achieved. Now I am ready to set new goals and start a new career for myself outside of the ring."
As the years pass, that Lewis retired at the right time will become an important part of his legacy. He has now traded the heavyweight championship for the dual role of husband and father.
Lennox's partner in life is Violet Chang, who was born in Jamaica but grew up in New York. She's a college graduate and former beauty-pageant winner. They were married on July 15 last year.
The Lewises have homes in England, the US and Jamaica. He guarded his privacy when he was an elite athlete, and that hasn't changed. Neighbours know him as a friendly presence but one who deflects attention from himself. Fatherhood is now his focus.
Landon Lewis was born on June 15, 2004. "Being a father is a joy every day," the former champion says of his new status.
"One problem is that, because of who I am, whenever Landon goes out, people shadow box with him. So now he's picked it up. He holds his hands up and throws punches and says, 'Box! Box!'
"I've made a point not to do it with him. I want him to excel in a variety of sports when he's older. He can choose which ones, but I'd have mixed feelings about Landon boxing."
Marriage and fatherhood have brought renewed responsibility. "I grew up independent and doing my own thing," Lewis says.
"But with a wife and child, I can't do that any more because it's not just me now. And Landon will have a brother or sister before much longer."
Lewis spends much of each day tending to domestic chores and caring for Landon. He plays chess and poker, but not for big stakes. "I might win or lose £100 [$240]," he says. "If I win, great. If I lose, that was the cost of the evening's entertainment."
He also provides commentary for HBO boxing broadcasts and says "people are always bringing business ventures to me".
Lewis's professional passion now is acting. During his ring career, he made cameo appearances in television shows including Fantasy Island. His first role in a major film was a brief scene playing himself in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven.
Last year, he took a major step forward when he landed a role in the feature film Johnny Was.
"Acting is like boxing in that both jobs require training and discipline," he says.
"And you have to be open to being taught. There's different kinds of preparation for a fight, depending on who the opponent is, and there's different kinds of preparation for a role, depending on the character you're playing. The difference is, in acting, no one is trying to knock your head off."
Fighters, of course, try to render each other unconscious. Everything that takes place in a boxing ring proceeds from that premise. Still, Lewis says without equivocation: "I enjoyed the time I was a fighter. The last few times I was in training camp, I told myself, 'I'd better take all this in now because there will only be a few more of these in my life'."
Lewis recalls five fights with particular fondness. The first was against former WBO champion Ray Mercer at Madison Square Garden in 1996. Mercer, an Olympic gold medallist, was a bull of a man with a straight-ahead, no-finesse brawling style. "Sometimes it's not enough to just box," Lewis says. "Sometimes you have to fight." The fight with Mercer, which Lewis won on points, was one of those times. Then came two fights against Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
The first, in 1999, was declared a draw. Eight months later, Lewis and Holyfield met again; Lewis was awarded a unanimous decision.
"After that, I'd point to my rematch against Hasim Rahman [in 2001]," he says. "He won the first time we fought. That I'd lost to him the first time made knocking him out all the sweeter.
"One thing I learnt in boxing is that defeat, properly handled, makes a person stronger.
"You can't walk in the rain without getting wet, and you can't be in a boxing ring without getting hit.
"Winning and losing are on the same page in my book, and you have to accept them both.
"Twice in my career, I slipped [Lewis's other defeat was a 1994 loss to Oliver McCall]. But both times, I came back and beat the man who beat me. I'm proud of that."
The final encounter on Lewis's list of his most meaningful fights is his destruction of Tyson. That bout ended with Tyson lying on the canvas, blood streaming from his mouth and nose and from cuts above both eyes.
"I had to fight Tyson," Lewis says. "If I hadn't, no matter how much I accomplished, no matter how many other fights I won, there would have always been people who said, 'Yes, Lennox was good but he never could have beaten Tyson'."
When Lewis formally retired as an active fighter, he closed his public announcement with the words, "Let the new era begin." So far, however, it hasn't been much of an era.
At present, four men claim pieces of the heavyweight throne. Hasim Rahman, Nikolay Valuev, Chris Byrd and Sergei Lyakhovich all hold versions of the world title. When Valuev fought John Ruiz the bout wasn't even shown on US television.
Lewis says: "There's a certain satisfaction when I look at the heavyweight division today. It feels good knowing that people have come to understand that I was the last true heavyweight champion."
He adds: "I feel bad for the sport" but declines to criticise the limitations of the present champions.
"The era of Lewis, Tyson and Holyfield is over," he says. "We know that. But boxing is hard enough without other boxers coming down on you. It always surprises me when boxers speak ill of other boxers.
"Boxers are a family. We know things about boxing that other people don't. We understand that, even when we win, we lose a little of ourselves every time we get in the ring. Each of the top heavyweights today has been successful in his way. Anyone who gets into a boxing ring deserves credit for his courage."
Meanwhile, the world has come to understand that Lewis's retirement was for real. "Boxing is a happy part of my past," he says. "But I don't miss it. It's a hard sport. Boxers are trained to exploit their opponents' weaknesses. It's survival of the fittest. We hit you on your wounds. One bad move and the game can be over. I got out at the right time for me."
And so, at the age of 40, Lewis is on to new challenges. "You can only do things for so long," he says. 'Then you get too old or you grow out of them and you move on to another stage in life.
"Boxing was a big part of my life, but it was never what I defined myself by. I'm the same person now that I was when I was boxing. The only difference is that my goals have changed. Instead of trying to be the best fighter, my goals now are to be the best father I can be, the best husband I can be, and to make a difference in the lives of some of the less fortunate people in the world."
The Guardian
Re: interview with lennox lewis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/950000...3_lewis150.jpg
AND ID LIKE TO THANK JAMAICA, FOR HIDING ME FROM VITALI ON DECEMBER THE 6TH
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Im not sure leenox is the greatest of his generation a great fighter but he picked his spots and his one punch knock out losses always took away from his luster
Re: interview with lennox lewis
lewis beat everyone worth beating and avenged both of his losses....just look at his resume....
with hindsight i appreciate just how significant lennox lewis really was...
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by miles
lewis beat everyone worth beating and avenged both of his losses....just look at his resume....
with hindsight i appreciate just how significant lennox lewis really was...
Yep he was a greater fighter than Ali, He would have crushed Ali. He was the Greatest.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
yea i got to agree lewis was great i wasn't a fan of him when he was around but its true what they say u don't realize what u got till its gone he was a great boxer.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Nice interview but I really do not see him acting,I mean as a commentator in the Judah fight,he came across really dry!!! Hardly said anything,come across as a thinking quiet man.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Game
Nice interview but I really do not see him acting,I mean as a commentator in the Judah fight,he came across really dry!!! Hardly said anything,come across as a thinking quiet man.
at least you could hear lennox speak!!! i get the fight and all you can hear are these korean commentators making a horendous noise! shut up, and let me at least try and hear what the corner men are saying please!! ;D >:mad
really, the trials and tribulations of being a boxing fan out in korea!! :D
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDukeof74
Quote:
Originally Posted by miles
lewis beat everyone worth beating and avenged both of his losses....just look at his resume....
with hindsight i appreciate just how significant lennox lewis really was...
Yep he was a greater fighter than Ali, He would have crushed Ali. He was the Greatest.
You cannot be serious??
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDukeof74
Quote:
Originally Posted by miles
lewis beat everyone worth beating and avenged both of his losses....just look at his resume....
with hindsight i appreciate just how significant lennox lewis really was...
Yep he was a greater fighter than Ali, He would have crushed Ali. He was the Greatest.
You cannot be serious??
Look at the guys Lennox fought,an then look at the chumps Ali fought. Ali struggled against Wepner. Wepner looked like the guy that puts candybars and crackers in the vending machines at middle schools. Ali had trouble with people with a good jab, Lewis would eat Ali lunch, seriously no pun intended.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
I never liked Lewis much when he was around. But is it ever obvious that boxing was better when he was a part of it.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
lewis lost the mercer fight no question and my man beat him in the rematch to boot yall
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slick Shawn
lewis lost the mercer fight no question and my man beat him in the rematch to boot yall
Yep I think Mercer taxed that ass too. But you have to admit, The boy from the other side with dreadlocks was bad. Do you guys remember his pre-fight rastafarian dance, Looked like he was about to have a major seizure.
Re: interview with lennox lewis
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDukeof74
Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDukeof74
Quote:
Originally Posted by miles
lewis beat everyone worth beating and avenged both of his losses....just look at his resume....
with hindsight i appreciate just how significant lennox lewis really was...
Yep he was a greater fighter than Ali, He would have crushed Ali. He was the Greatest.
You cannot be serious??
Look at the guys Lennox fought,an then look at the chumps Ali fought. Ali struggled against Wepner. Wepner looked like the guy that puts candybars and crackers in the vending machines at middle schools. Ali had trouble with people with a good jab, Lewis would eat Ali lunch, seriously no pun intended.
The chumps Ali fought: Archie Moore, Floyd Patterson, Doug Jones, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Cleveland Willaims, Zora Folley, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry.
Cannot agree with you there mate.
