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kenyan_cheena · 07-03-2005, 10:47 PM

OLYMPIC CHAMPION LEWIS ITCHING
TO START PRO CAREER

Thursday 21 February 2002

story by David Gomez for espn.com

Back in early December, Canada's Lennox Lewis announced his intention to compete as a professional boxer under the banner of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation.

Lewis had taken the gold medal in the Super-Heavyweight division at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, defeating Brooklyn's Riddick Bowe in the final by what some called a controversial 2nd round TKO.

When the HBF announced its formation and plans for a World Championship tournament in September 2001, there was almost unanimous consensus that Lewis would compete. However, a serious illness in his family prevented him from making the trip to New York in October to audition for the tournament, and so he was unable to take part.

Once the medical emergency with his family had passed, Lewis contacted the HBF and soon after, declared his status as a professional boxer. The federation conjured up what was called the New York State Championship, which just appeared to be a gimmick to bring Lewis into the pro arena.

But then, on the 17th of January, the HBF announced that the NYS Championship had been scrapped and that they had created a group of seven international feeder leagues, one of which would be located in Canada. This suited Lewis just fine, and it was announced that he would make his pro debut as a competitor in the Canadian Boxing League.

Well, that debut is now just a matter of five days away and, putting it mildly, Lennox Lewis simply can't wait to get in the ring.

"It's been pretty difficult watching all these other guys fighting each week," the 24 year-old Lewis said. "Waiting for my debut has been the hardest thing, even more so than the training itself."

The first fight card of the HBF's Canadian Boxing League will take place on Tuesday night at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, with Lewis the #1 seed. His opponent will be 22 year-old Missouri native Joe Cox who at 6'5" stands as tall as Lewis.

"I don't really know too much about him, obviously," Lewis said. "But I think that if I perform to my ability, that won't matter."

Born in West Ham, London, Lewis moved to Canada with his family when he was twelve. They settled in Kitchener, Ontario and still reside there.

"Canada has been good to our family, and to me," Lewis said. "I really do feel like this is where we belong."

Another resident of Ontario has been less than complimentary towards Lennox Lewis. Jamaican-born Donovan Ruddock is the 20th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament. He lives in Weston, to the south-east of Kitchener, and was quite vocal in his objections towards the publicity that Lewis received back in December after he turned professional. Ruddock has since declared that he looks forward to the day when he clashes with Lewis in the professional arena.

Lewis smiled and shrugged when asked about Ruddock's animosity towards him.

"That's easy to explain," Lewis said. "I knocked him out of the qualifying for the Sydney Olympics. I beat him up for three rounds, and I guess he just hasn't come to terms with that yet. He's looking for some retribution. But you know, it's just like with Riddick Bowe. I defeated him aswell, and he has said that he's keen to fight me again. Personally, I'd be happy to fight them both again, but unfortunately, with the HBF tournament set-up, there's no chance of that happening in the immediate future."

Lewis was complimentary with his words regarding the two men who have the best chance of bringing the inaugural HBF World Championship to Canada, Sam Langford and George Chuvalo.

"They've both started their careers with some good wins," Lewis said. "Langford has just been fantastic, I have to say. And Chuvalo, well he was just dynamic last night. It's really going to be interesting to see how far they go in the tournament. I'm looking forward to competing with them in the future. I think there will really be some competitve pride between the four of us: Langford, Chuvalo, Ruddock and myself over which one of us is the best Canada has to offer. I'm looking forward to that."

An eloquent speaker, Lewis still has a hint of the English accent he took with him to Canada a dozen years ago. Since his triumph at the Olympics last year and, in particular, since announcing his move to the pro ranks, Lewis has become something of an advertiser's dream in Canada. He has signed a number of endorsement deals, and his stock will only rise if his pro career proves to be as successful as his amateur one was.

On Tuesday night, Lennox Lewis will take the first step towards making that dream a reality...

07-03-2005, 10:47 PM	#204 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,312	OLYMPIC CHAMPION LEWIS ITCHING TO START PRO CAREER Thursday 21 February 2002 story by David Gomez for espn.com Back in early December, Canada's Lennox Lewis announced his intention to compete as a professional boxer under the banner of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation. Lewis had taken the gold medal in the Super-Heavyweight division at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, defeating Brooklyn's Riddick Bowe in the final by what some called a controversial 2nd round TKO. When the HBF announced its formation and plans for a World Championship tournament in September 2001, there was almost unanimous consensus that Lewis would compete. However, a serious illness in his family prevented him from making the trip to New York in October to audition for the tournament, and so he was unable to take part. Once the medical emergency with his family had passed, Lewis contacted the HBF and soon after, declared his status as a professional boxer. The federation conjured up what was called the New York State Championship, which just appeared to be a gimmick to bring Lewis into the pro arena. But then, on the 17th of January, the HBF announced that the NYS Championship had been scrapped and that they had created a group of seven international feeder leagues, one of which would be located in Canada. This suited Lewis just fine, and it was announced that he would make his pro debut as a competitor in the Canadian Boxing League. Well, that debut is now just a matter of five days away and, putting it mildly, Lennox Lewis simply can't wait to get in the ring. "It's been pretty difficult watching all these other guys fighting each week," the 24 year-old Lewis said. "Waiting for my debut has been the hardest thing, even more so than the training itself." The first fight card of the HBF's Canadian Boxing League will take place on Tuesday night at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, with Lewis the #1 seed. His opponent will be 22 year-old Missouri native Joe Cox who at 6'5" stands as tall as Lewis. "I don't really know too much about him, obviously," Lewis said. "But I think that if I perform to my ability, that won't matter." Born in West Ham, London, Lewis moved to Canada with his family when he was twelve. They settled in Kitchener, Ontario and still reside there. "Canada has been good to our family, and to me," Lewis said. "I really do feel like this is where we belong." Another resident of Ontario has been less than complimentary towards Lennox Lewis. Jamaican-born Donovan Ruddock is the 20th seed in the HBF's World Championship tournament. He lives in Weston, to the south-east of Kitchener, and was quite vocal in his objections towards the publicity that Lewis received back in December after he turned professional. Ruddock has since declared that he looks forward to the day when he clashes with Lewis in the professional arena. Lewis smiled and shrugged when asked about Ruddock's animosity towards him. "That's easy to explain," Lewis said. "I knocked him out of the qualifying for the Sydney Olympics. I beat him up for three rounds, and I guess he just hasn't come to terms with that yet. He's looking for some retribution. But you know, it's just like with Riddick Bowe. I defeated him aswell, and he has said that he's keen to fight me again. Personally, I'd be happy to fight them both again, but unfortunately, with the HBF tournament set-up, there's no chance of that happening in the immediate future." Lewis was complimentary with his words regarding the two men who have the best chance of bringing the inaugural HBF World Championship to Canada, Sam Langford and George Chuvalo. "They've both started their careers with some good wins," Lewis said. "Langford has just been fantastic, I have to say. And Chuvalo, well he was just dynamic last night. It's really going to be interesting to see how far they go in the tournament. I'm looking forward to competing with them in the future. I think there will really be some competitve pride between the four of us: Langford, Chuvalo, Ruddock and myself over which one of us is the best Canada has to offer. I'm looking forward to that." An eloquent speaker, Lewis still has a hint of the English accent he took with him to Canada a dozen years ago. Since his triumph at the Olympics last year and, in particular, since announcing his move to the pro ranks, Lewis has become something of an advertiser's dream in Canada. He has signed a number of endorsement deals, and his stock will only rise if his pro career proves to be as successful as his amateur one was. On Tuesday night, Lennox Lewis will take the first step towards making that dream a reality... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 04-24-2007 at 08:41 AM.