Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was only bested twice in his career and was able to avenge both of his losses.
Retiring with a record of 41-2-1, ‘The Lion’ is one of the few heavyweights to leave the sport as a champion. Considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Lewis will be remembered throughout history.
Among his elite resume include names such as Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson, and Evander Holyfield, all of whom failed to defeat Lewis.
Lewis would be stopped in the two defeats in his career. However, he would return the knockout blows to both men in their respective rematches.
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Lennox Lewis listened to Nelson Mandela’s advice ahead of high-stakes rematch
In April of 2001, Lewis would taste defeat for the second time as a professional. Facing Hasim Rahman in South Africa, he would be stopped in the fourth round.
Lewis was shocked by his first knockout loss which was against Oliver McCall in 1994, seven years prior to his second loss.
However, Lewis would get the chance to get revenge against Rahman, seven months after their first meeting.
Speaking about the rematch to Ring Magazine, Lewis told the story of his meeting with Nelson Mandela.
“I went to visit Mandela [after the fight]… As I went to meet him, he said, ‘You have to keep that right hand higher, but don’t worry, you’re going to get him the next time. Let’s go.’ And I was like, wow.”
“The way he made me feel good. He said I’m going to win the next fight, and I’m like, I’m going to win that next fight.”
Lewis would go on to win his rematch with Rahman via fourth-round knockout.
The victory meant that Lewis would once again hold the IBF, IBO, and WBC World Heavyweight titles, which he defended against Tyson seven months later.
Lennox Lewis never looked back on retirement despite urges
Lewis’ last performance would come in 2003, as he scored a TKO victory over Klitschko. Never returning to the ring again, Lewis has said that he had an urge to go back to boxing but ultimately decided not to.
In the interview with Ring Magazine, speaking about his retirement, Lewis said, “I’m there at ringside commentating and I’m like, I know how to fight better than this guy… I would want to go in there and do it.”
The former champion did mention he was close to returning to boxing on some occasions. However, Lewis’ decision was ultimately to stay out of the ring. “I’ve done it already.”
Lewis said that he stepped away almost entirely from boxing training in his post-career, due to the reason that it gave him the sense that he was training for another fight.