In a sport many view for its violence, Lennox Lewis said on Sunday he wanted to be remembered for making it a “sweet science, a magical dance” as he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“Our sport is usually looked at as a brutal, savage sport,” Lennox told hundreds of fight fans gathered for the hall’s 20th annual induction ceremony. “I see it as a sweet science, a magical dance. For me, I just wanted to live up to that, and keep the dignity and the humanistic aspect and the positiveness of it ... so that people will remember that’s what I did for boxing.”
A towering presence at 196cm, 113kg, Lewis displayed a nimbleness never before seen in a fighter his size. The 43-year-old Lewis retired in 2003 with a record of 41-2-1, including 32 KOs, and entered the hall in his first year of eligibility.
Also among the 14 inductees on Sunday were American bantamweight champion Orlando Canizales and South African junior lightweight champion Brian Mitchell.
Posthumous honorees included middleweight champion William “Gorilla” Jones, welterweight champion “Mysterious” Billy Smith and middleweight champion Billy Soose in the Old-Timer Category.
Nineteenth-century American heavyweight champion Tom Hyer was recognized in the Pioneer Category.
Lewis lived in England until age 12 when his family moved to Canada. He began fighting as an amateur at age 15.
Lewis said it was because of his mother that he became interested in boxing. She would host fight parties when he was growing up.
“I didn’t really understand them at first. People would come over the house for the big fight. She would be really excited about it. I remember sitting in front of the television watching all the great fights,” Lewis said.
In 1988, Lewis won an Olympic gold medal, defeating American Riddick Bowe in the finals.
He turned pro in 1989. After winning the European, British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, Lewis won the vacant World Boxing Council title in 1992, stopping Donovan “Razor” Ruddock with a second-round TKO.
He reclaimed the crown in 1997 from Oliver McCall, avenging an earlier title loss. In 2001, Lewis seized the WBC crown for the third time by knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round, avenging his only other professional loss and joining Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney as the only heavyweights to retire with no unavenged defeats.
Two of Lewis’ most memorable bouts were with Evander Holyfield. The pair fought to a controversial draw in March 1999 in what was then the highest-grossing fight at Madison Square Garden. Lewis took a unanimous decision over Holyfield eight months later to win the WBA/IBF belts and unify the heavyweight championship.
“One wouldn’t think a 14-year-old boy who did shadow boxing in front of the mirror imitating the Muhammad Ali shuffle would actually be on this stage. I am really humble ... this is a great honor,” Lewis said.
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