Lennox Lewis

Born : 2nd September 1965 - London, England.                                                                     
Height : 6 Feet, 5 Inches. 
Weight : 220 lbs - 256 lbs.                                                                
Pro Debut :  June 27, 1989 - Ko2 - Al Malcolm.                                                                   
Record : 40-2-1 (31 Ko's). (Still Active)                                                                                                         
Championship Record - 14-2-1 (9 Ko's).

Titles : WBC Heavyweight Champion 1992 to 1994, Heavyweight Champion 1997 to 2001 and IBF/WBC Heavyweight Champion 2001 to Present. 

Revenge - Lennox Hits Rahman with a big right in the rematch.

Size, Speed And Power!

In his professional debut on June 27, 1989, Lewis drubbed Al Malcolm in two rounds (KO 2). Following his electrifying debut, Lennox seized 20 straight victories--17 by knockout. Incredibly, 10 of his victims could not survive past the third round.

Undefeated at 21-0, Lewis challenged the ferocious Donovan "Razor" Ruddock on Halloween, 1992. The winner of the bout was expected to battle the winner of the Evander Holyfield V Riddick Bowe bout in a heavyweight elimination tournament that had been agreed upon by all four combatants.

Lewis propelled himself to the top of the heavyweight class by flooring Ruddock three times to earn a second round stoppage. The victory had seemingly assured Lewis of a shot at the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

However, after Riddick Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield on November 13, 1992, to capture the undisputed heavyweight championship, he refused to honor the agreement. Bowe wanted no part of fighting Lewis. Furious, the WBC stripped Bowe of their title, and announced that Lewis would be crowned the WBC heavyweight champion.

Lewis then successfully defended the crown three times, defeating Tony Tucker (W 12), Frank Bruno (TKO 7) and Phil Jackson (TKO 8).

On September 24, 1994, Lewis suffered his first of just two losses as a professional. In the second round a crushing right hand from the WBC 's #1 ranked contender, Oliver McCall, sent Lewis sprawling to the canvas. Lewis rose to his feet, but was not allowed to continue as the referee called a halt to the bout (TKO by 2). Many spectators at ringside argued that the stoppage had been premature and that Lewis should have been allowed to continue. Dejected by the controversial loss, Lewis vowed to regain the title.

Lewis returned to the ring with a fury on May 13, 1995, destroying Lionel Butler in five round. At the post-fight press conference, WBC President Jose Sulaiman assured Lewis that he would face the winner of the Oliver McCall-Frank Bruno bout. However, any celebrations proved premature as Lewis was skipped over for a title shot again, this time in favor of Mike Tyson.

Undaunted, Lewis worked doggedly to secure a championship fight, annihilating Justin Fortune (TKO 4) and Tommy Morrison (TKO 6). After the impressive destruction of Morrison, Lewis battled one of the fiercest warriors in the heavyweight division: Ray Mercer.

On May 10, 1996, Lewis outboxed and outpunched Mercer in front of 16,000 fans at Madison Square Garden to win a unanimous decision (W 10). His punishing left jab and lethal right hand stymied the powerful Mercer, and announced to boxing insiders and fans alike that he was ready to regain his heavyweight belt.

While Lewis was defeating Fortune, Morrison and Mercer, his management team was offering Tyson $45 million to defend the WBC title against Lewis. Tyson refused. In response to a court order demanding that he defend his crown against Lewis, Tyson surrendered the title, providing Lewis with the opportunity to battle his nemesis Oliver McCall for the vacant crown.

On February 7,1997, Lewis challenged Oliver McCall, not only to regain the WBC heavyweight championship, but also to avenge the sole blemish on his record. In a contest in which McCall sobbed profusely and refused to fight, Lewis was awarded a fifth-round technical knockout.

On July 12, 1997, Lewis retained his WBC heavyweight championship by defeating the intimidated, overmatched Henry Akinwande (Wby DQ 5). Akinwande clutched Lewis from the opening bell and was disqualified by referee Mills Lane in round five after ignoring several warnings and a point deduction.

After defeating Akinwande, Lewis annihilated Andrew Golota in one round on October 4, 1997, in what may have been his finest performance as a professional (TKO 1). Lewis floored Golota midway through round one with a blitzkrieg of right hands. Golota managed to climb to his feet, but only to be pummeled further, forcing referee Joe Cortez to halt the bout.

On March 28, 1998, in a bout that received consideration as 1998's "Fight of the Year," Lewis dismantled Shannon Briggs to successfully defend his crown for the third time and capture the Linear Heavyweight Championship. Shaking off the effects of being staggered in round one, Lewis stormed through Briggs in rounds three through five, flooring the Brooklyn, N.Y., native four times en-route to a fifth-round stoppage.

Six months later on September 26, 1998, Lewis fulfilled his mandatory defense requirement by dominating the WBC's #1 ranked heavyweight contender Zeljko Mavrovic to capture a unanimous decision (W 12). Lewis pounded the durable, Croatian challenger for 12 rounds, opening numerous gashes across his face, including one slice under the chin that required five stitches.

On March 13, 1999, Lewis outboxed WBA/IBF heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, but was robbed of a victory--and of the undisputed heavyweight crown--when the judges scored the bout a draw (D 12). Lewis utilized his stiff left jab and his clubbing overhand right to dominate the 12 round heavyweight unification bout. The majority of the 20,000 spectators who filled the sold out "Mecca of Boxing" expected to leave the arena that evening proclaiming Lennox Lewis to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Instead, to their dismay, and to the dismay of the more than one million pay-per-view television spectators, the fight was ruled a draw (D 12).

On November 13, 1999, Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in the rematch to capture the undisputed heavyweight crown (W 12).

In January 2000, Lewis signed to defend his undisputed heavyweight crown on April 29 against NABF heavyweight champion Michael Grant. On April 12, following a lawsuit by Don King Productions, a federal judge ruled that the WBA could not sanction the Lewis-Grant bout and that Lewis must surrender the WBA title if he fought Grant.

Lewis refused to cancel the Grant fight, and surrendered the WBA crown upon entering the ring onApril 29.

On April 29, 2000, Lewis pummeled undefeated heavyweight contender Michael Grant, flooring the giant, 6-7 Norristown, PA, contender four times in two rounds to successfully defend his IBF/WBC crowns and his Linear Heavyweight Championship. Lewis' overwhelming performance solidified his position as "the best heavyweight on the planet."

Three months later on July 15, 2000, Lewis slaughtered "The White Buffalo," blasting Frans Botha with a three-punch combination late in round two that lifted Botha off the canvas and sent him sailing through the ropes and nearly onto the laps of ringside observers (TKO 2). The victory was Lewis' 13th straight.

Then on November 11, 2000, Lewis performed a boxing clinic against #1 ranked contender David Tua to successfully defend his world heavyweight crown for the third time (W 12). Lewis' stiff left jabs and stinging overhand rights bloodied Tua's nose and swelled both of his eyes. The 35-year-old champion won the last eight rounds on all three judges' scorecards to win a lopsided unanimous decision by the scores of 119-109, 118-110, and 117-111.

Just five months later Lennox was shocked by underdog Hasim Rahman in South Africa, Rahman nailed an under motivated and sluggish looking Lewis coming off the ropes in round five, Lewis managed to rise but was stopped and Rahman was proclaimed the new champion. Lewis showed his mettle however by correcting his attitude and mistakes in November of 2001 by flattening Rahman in the fourth round of the rematch and claiming back his titles, this time there was no doubt as to who the better man was.

Lennox could now finally get the fight he had wanted for so long, and in June 2002 it became a reality. Many questions surrounded Lennox's chin and heart, he proved that there was nothing wrong with either when he finally buried the Mike Tyson myth with a convincing eight round Ko of Iron Mike. Lewis put in a perfect performance and proved his doubters wrong, he easily took the few punches Tyson did land and gradually disheartened Tyson with a long left jab and big right hand, finally leaving him cold on the canvas in round eight. This was Tyson's most convincing and painful defeat.

Lennox is currently the finest heavyweight around and its hard to see out of the current crop of heavyweights who will be able to stop him.

Lennox Lewis's Complete Professional Record.

All Records from www.boxrec.com.

.