[citation needed]. He ranks fifth in BoxRec's list of best heavyweight boxers of all time. Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson & Tyson Fury, Yes, father of: Landon Lewis, Leviah Lewis, Leya Lewis, Ling Lewis. The WBC title was declared vacant. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 1 contender and former WBO champion. He vacated his remaining titles and retired from boxing in 2004. Lewis accepted $4 million from Don King to step aside and allow Tyson to fight Bruce Seldon instead, with a guarantee that if Tyson defeated Seldon, he would fight Lewis next. He has four children - three daughters and a son - with Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up whom he married in 2005. . Its not that I liked hurting people, I liked to portray the perception that I liked hurting people, he told Hollywood legend William Shatner on his Hotboxin podcast. He holds the distinction of being the first professional heavyweight champion to win a gold medal in the super-heavyweight category, which was not created until the 1984 Summer Olympics. Names of father, mother, kids, brothers & sisters: Landon Lewis (Son) Leviah Lewis (Daughter) Ling Lewis (Daughter) Leya Lewis (Daughter) Friends Evander Holyfield Skin, Hair & Eye Color This cool friendly talented boxer originating from West Ham, London, England has a athletic body & round face type. 1 contender. Lewis and Tyson finally met in 2002, and Lewis knocked out Tyson in the 8th round. ", After the fight, Lewis decided he needed a new trainer to replace Pepe Correa, who had become increasingly difficult to work with. Lennox Lewis went on to defend the crown for several fights until he was defeated by Oliver McCall in 2 rounds in Sept of 1994. Lewis was born to Jamaican parents, spent his early childhood in England, and then moved with his mother to Canada. Lewis has four children, but his first, Landon, was born in 2004 four years after Tyson's interview. Updates? Two fights against Evander Holyfield in 1999 (the first ending in a controversial draw) saw Lewis become undisputed heavyweight champion by unifying his WBC title with Holyfield's WBA and IBF titles, as well as the vacant IBO title. My style is impetuous. After winning the Olympics gold, he turned professional in 1989 and moved to England, where he signed up with the American promoter, Main Events.. Lewis, with the help of new trainer Emanuel Steward, came back and began tearing his way through the ranks of the heavyweight division. An all-around athlete in high school, he excelled in several sports but soon focused on boxing and developed into one of Canadas best amateur fighters. He compiled a career record of 41-2-1 and won gold in the super heavyweight class at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Lennox Lewis, in full Lennox Claudius Lewis, (born September 2, 1965, London, England), first British boxer to hold the undisputed heavyweight world championship since Bob Fitzsimmons held the title in 1899. "[28] In 2015 Lewis explained "When I turned pro, I had to go to the United Kingdom in order to pursue my career. Paris Fury threw an incredible superhero themed 4th birthday party for her son Adonis on Wednesday.. But I was not intimidated, he explained. Lewis successfully defended the title during his forthcoming fights against the likes of Shannon Briggs, Henry Akinwande, and Zeljko Mavrovi. While promoting the rematch with Rahman on ESPN's Up Close, the fighters got into a brawl[43] similar to the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in front of Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports. I don't want anyone controlling me. My defense is impregnable, and Im just ferocious. Lennox attendedCameron Heights Collegiate Institutefor high school, where he was an all around athlete who excelled infootball, soccer, basketball and track and field. After retirement, Lennox moved to Miami beach with his family. The only difference is that my goals have changed. The World Boxing Council (WBC) stripped Bowe of his title and awarded it to Lewis, who defended the title three times before losing in an upset to American Oliver McCall in London in September 1994. I'll beat him up for free. There's no one like me. Being intimidated prevents me from acting. He had a close fight against Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzlez at the 1987 Pan American Games super-heavyweight finals: the American judge scored the bout in favour of Lewis 6057, while the judges from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Uruguay scored the bout 5958 for Gonzlez. He continues to be the last Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Retained British and European heavyweight titles; Retained British and European heavyweight titles, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, England, Superstars Nite Club, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, (both fighters had a point deducted in the 3rd rd for punching while holding), Learn how and when to remove this template message, undisputed heavyweight champion of the World, List of British heavyweight boxing champions, List of European Boxing Union heavyweight champions, "Lennox Lewis is, "The best heavyweight of all time", Boxer Lennox Lewis to receive honorary doctorate, "Good deeds distinguished boxing trainer", In the Arena: Canada closed off the 10th Pan American Games with a silver medal in the boxing ring, "Lennox Lewis still fighting his corner as he lays into heavyweight issues", "BOXING; Bruno vs. Lewis: A Personal Battle of Britain", "Lennox Lewis wants to make Toronto 'Boxing City', "BOXING; Bowe Trashes His W.B.C. In next year, he won against Mike Tyson in one among the greatest highly anticipated bouts in the history of boxing. In one of the strangest fights in boxing history, McCall, who had lost the first three rounds, refused to box in the fourth and fifth rounds. This is because he finally agreed that his preferred sport was boxing. Apart from the C.M., this former heavyweight champion was also awarded the M.B.E (Member of the Order of the British Empire) and the C.B.E (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to the sport of boxing. During his initial three years served as a professional, he has won many regional heavyweight championships, like British, European, and Commonwealth titles. Lewis was born in London England on the city ' s tough East End on September 2, 1965. Upon retiring from boxing, Lewis moved to Miami Beach with his wife, Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up. No other details have been released. [23], After winning the Olympic gold, Lewis was approached immediately by big-time American boxing promoters, including Bob Arum. .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, "People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them Holyfield was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was Ray Mercer, but when you really dive into why that is, it actually makes a lot of sense. The stage was set for the Lewis/Tyson fight 18 years earlier when they sparred together and it was predicted by Tysons coach Cus DAmato that they would meet for the heavyweight championship title. Lennox Lewis was born on September 2, 1965, in Stratford, East London to Jamaican parents. During 19821983 based school years this boxer has assisted schools AAA basketball squad in winning the Ontario provincial championship. Lennox Claudius Lewis CM CBE (born September 2, 1965 in West Ham, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British/Canadian retired professional boxer. At the time of his birth, he weighed around 10 pounds, to which the doctor remarked that he looked like a Lennox!. Lewis was born on 2 September 1965 in West Ham, London, to Jamaican parents and according to his mother, he would often fight with other children growing up. He was officially crowned the WBC Heavyweight Champion in January of 1993. No, Im Alexander. Coming in with his loud mouth and trash-talking, Tyson had even claimed that he would eat Lennox Lewis' children. Correa denounced Lewis in public after being fired. 3 Lennox Lewis pictured with his mum Violet Credit: Getty - Contributor 3 Similarly, he has two sons named Ling Lewis and Landon Lewis. It is known that two bouts played against Evander Holyfield during the year 1999 perceived Lewis being an undisputed heavyweight champion through uniting his WBC title along with Holyfields IBF and WBA titles, and even vacant IBO title. In April 2000 Lewis was stripped of the WBA portion of his title after a legal dispute with the promoter Don King prevented a timely defense of his title against an acceptable opponent. In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canadas Sports Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Councils Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. It was just a fight. Lennox Lewis, who calls himself the pugilist specialist, is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever. In 2003, he fought against Vitali Klitschko, the WBC world contender and champion. Tyson also had to pay Lewis $335,000 out of his purse for biting him at the news conference announcing the fight, which was originally scheduled for 6 April 2002 in Las Vegas. In the late 1990, he won the European heavyweight title by beating Frenchman Jean Maurice Chanet. The son of the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is interested in boxing and Lewis expresses pride when describing the reaction of his children to a new documentary about him.. No, I'm Alexander, he's no Alexander. [citation needed]. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title to avoid defending it against Lewis. Lewis has four children, but his first, Landon, was born in 2004 four years after Tysons interview. Their partnership lasted until Lewis's retirement.[33]. After beating Lou Savarese in 2000, Tyson ignored the post-fight questions to issue Lennox Lewis with a terrifying threat. In April 2000, he successfully knocked out the 6 feet 8 inches Michael Grant in Madison Square Garden. Lewis moved to England again for a short time when he was 12, but he soon settled back with his mother in Kitchener, Ontario. After he signed with American promoter Main Events,[citation needed] he won the European heavyweight title in 1990 against Frenchman Jean Maurice Chanet. She also holds the title of the runner up of Miss Jamaica. His combined three reigns tally 3,086 days (8 years, 5 months and 13 days), which ranks as the fourth-longest cumulative time spent as world heavyweight champion. Lennox, 40, and Violet, 28, have been together for six years and were married in July 2005. Sportscaster Larry Merchant declared, "We have a great new heavyweight.". [59] Prior to the offer Lewis was familiar with wrestling; he was part of the famous match held in the old Wembley Stadium between The British Bulldog and Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1992, representing the Bulldog during his entrance while bearing a Union Flag. He claimed he had always considered himself British,[25][26][27] but one article reported that many British fans regarded him as "a Canadian at heart and a Briton for convenience. Lewis returned to his native England in 1989 to pursue a professional career. The events surrounding their brawl are still open to debate. He became a dominant amateur boxer and won the world amateur junior title in 1983. [5] At birth he weighed 4.8kg (10lb 10 oz), and was given the name Lennox by the doctor, who said "he looked like a Lennox. In 1997, he defeated McCall in Las Vegas and was re-crowned the WBC champion. Lewis played in the World Series of Poker in both 2006 and 2007, and was knocked out without winning any money. The British public voted Lewis the 1999 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Retrieved 24 May 2018. The few who live past one year have serious health problems, such as a toddler lacking abdominal wall muscles, revealing the slithering movement of intestines beneath his skin, or a 1-year-old who. During the second round of the game, McCall coupled his blows with a powerful right hook, planting Lewis flat on his back. Theres no one that can match me. now in their 50s . I just wanted to go out there and prove it by knocking him out. Lewis entered the ring at a career high 116kg (256.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 pounds). Initially, he has knocked out Donovan Ruddock for acquiring #1 position in World Boxing Council (briefly as WBC) rankings, also later he was announced WBC heavyweight champion during the year 1993. At four years, two months and fifteen days, Lewis has the twelfth-longest reign in heavyweight championship history. Lewis is one of five people to have won the heavyweight championship three times. Jones had the first laugh AND the last one. 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Similarly, the IBF stripped Lewis of their title in 2002 when he chose not to face their mandatory challenger Chris Byrd. Subsequently, he was ranked number one in the WBC world rankings. This boxer was bashed out by Hasim Rahman during the year 2001 upset; however, this loss was revenged afterwards in the year. In June 2009, Lewis was also inducted in his first year of eligibility into the revered International Boxing Hall of Fame. Im Sonny Liston. After he has won his initial 21 fights, he has beaten Donovan Ruddock during the year 1992 in order to seek number one place in WBC rankings. In the same year, The Ring magazine ranked Lewis as both the greatest heavyweight of the last thirty years and the joint-eleventh greatest heavyweight of all time (alongside Evander Holyfield), describing him as "a giant who fought with finesse" who beat every available contender. Lewis was born to Jamaican parents, spent his early childhood in England, and then moved with his mother to Canada. "[44] At that point I had no other option but to stop the fight. The documentary Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story appeared in 2020. Though he is well-known for guarding his privacy, Lennox recently opened up about how much he loves being a dad. The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canadas honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. A post shared by Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@mrlennoxlewis) He has two daughters named Leya Lewis and Leviah Lewis. Most Popular #32941. [3][4], Lewis was born on 2 September 1965 in West Ham, London, to Jamaican parents and according to his mother, he would often fight with other children growing up. I want your heart. In 2008 when asked about a potential bout after being antagonised by Riddick Bowe, Lewis quipped, "He waits until I am in retirement to call out my name, I will come out of retirement to beat up that guy. In 2009 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This was due to Riddick Bowe relinquishing the title after failing to agree to defend the title against Lewis, who had become the mandatory challenger by defeating Donovan Ruddock a few weeks earlier. His jab, which was often a pawing shot early in his career, became a formidable weapon under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, which Lewis used to set up his signature punch, the straight right hand. Of all the strange and often fiery encounters Tyson has had with reporters and fellow fighters, among the most awkward was his declaration that he wished to eat Lennox Lewis' children. He is also known for his cool and confident demeanor in the ring. 57 Year Old Virgo #20. Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in an upset in 2001, but this defeat was avenged later in the year. Lewis proceeded to fight the 203cm (6 foot 7 inch) American Michael Grant, whom he considered the best contender available. He has four children - three daughters and a son - with Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up whom he married in 2005. No, Im Alexander. Despite being 6'5" tall, and having a very strong punch, his coaches admitted they had to pressure him to convert size and raw talent into aggression. [32] In spite of the Lewis camp protests, Boxing Monthly editor Glynn Leach pointed out that Lewis "only seemed to recover his senses once the fight was waved off", and that "in the opinions of everyone I spoke to at ringside, the decision was correct. The WBC agreed, and kept the Ukrainian as its No. Boxer #46. By that time he was ranked #6 in the world by the AIBA. Trump Pardons Jack Johnson, Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Often regarded as the best boxer of this generation, Lennox retired from the sport in February 2004. LENNOX LEWIS revealed his mum's hilarious reaction after Mike Tyson warned her son: 'I want to eat your children'. Lennox Lewis with cool, beautiful, cute, Wife Violet Chang. Asked in particular about the infamous quote aimed at heavyweight rival Lennox Lewis in which he claimed he would 'eat his children', he said people had to believe he would do something as. Lewis avenged the loss in a 1997 rematch to win back the vacant WBC title. (2 children) Trivia (8) He was awarded the M.B.E. Moreover, he is the greatest recent undisputed world heavyweight champion. Negotiations for the rematch followed but Lewis changed his mind. In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1988 at the Seoul Olympics, he did as he said he would and brought home the Gold medal to Canada in the SuperHeavyweight division. Lewis worked as a boxing analyst for HBO on Boxing After Dark from 2006 to 2010. In 2002, Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in one of the most highly anticipated fights in boxing history. He is also, along with Gene Tunney, Marciano and Vitali Klitschko, one of four heavyweight champions to have ended his career as world champion, and with a world title fight victory in his final fight. However, his football team lost their championship game and while he was disappointed for the loss he decided that there was more to come. In the gold medal final, Lewis defeated Riddick Bowe with a second-round referee stopped contest (RSC). This was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating US$106.9million from 1.95million buys in the US, until it was surpassed by De La Hoya-Mayweather in 2007. My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. After much legal and business wrangling, a bout with Tyson was finally set for June 8, 2002, in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike Tyson opened up on the psychological warfare he inflicted on his opponents during his storied boxing career. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lennox-Lewis, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Lennox Lewis. Well, if youre ready, lets start. On June 8, 2002, he defended his title against Mike Tyson. The fight aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing with approximately 7 million viewers.[47]. Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM . After the doctor looked at the 4.8 kg (10 lb 10 oz), baby, he said, he looks like a Lennox and so he was named. The crowning moment in his career came in June 2002 when Lewis ceremoniously defeated Mike Tyson. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship,[2] Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics; in the latter, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division after defeating Riddick Bowe in the final. This time Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, unifying the WBC, WBA, IBO and IBF titles. (Member of The Order of The . He is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and one of the greatest British fighters of all time. It had . [57] He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. The new baby will join big brother Landon, 23 months. In 2002, Lewis played himself on an episode of The Jersey called "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Jersey".[60]. However, he was not overly impressed by their contract offers and thought about signing a professional contract with a Toronto-based promotion group. Lewiss athletic accomplishments have been acknowledged with numerous international honors. It is known that he is one among only five boxers who have won the Heavyweight Championship for three times. The boxer is married to Violet Chang, his starsign is Virgo and he is now 57 years of age. Lewis is an avid amateur chess player, and funded an after-school chess programme for disadvantaged youths, one of whom earned a university chess scholarship at Tennessee Tech.[65]. His birthplace was London, situated in England. Lewis decided that his favourite sport was boxing and set his sight on training exclusively in boxing. [30] On 14 December 1992, the WBC declared Lewis its champion, making him the first world heavyweight titleholder from Britain in the 20th century. ", where Lewis remarked "I thought we already did.". These Are The 10 Best-Paid Television Stars In The World. It was Lewis's most impressive win to date and established him as one of the world's best heavyweights. . Lewis was a classic upright boxer, who beat opponents from the outside with his dominant 84" reach. Violet has hallowed their family name with four children, Leviah Lewis, Landon Lewis, Ling Lewis and Leya Lewis. I should have stuck to my natural talent and boxed. Rahman was ordered to honour the clause and give Lewis a rematch in his first title defence. He came in fourth place (out of 14). This cool friendly talented boxer originating from West Ham, London, England has a athletic body & round face type. Lennox Lewis started off his career by featuring as a leading amateur boxer as well as he too won the amateur junior title globally during the year 1983. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 76% of the public money was riding on Paul. At the age of 18, he represented Canada in the 1984 Summer Olympics as a super heavyweight but lost by decision in the quarter-finals to American, Tyrell Biggs, the eventual gold medalist. Some of my prior antics over the years could make him think that possibly I will eat his kids, as he revealed he used intimidation as a weapon because he was scared himself. Lennox Lewis. Akin to Tyson vs Holyfield, Mike Tyson infused sheer bad-blood during the build-up of his fight against Lennox Lewis. Im the same person now that I was when I was boxing. Although he is now retired from the sport, he tours around the world with his posse and promotes the game. [18] He avenged the loss shortly thereafter, boxing for the North American amateur title eight days later. children: Landon Lewis, Leviah Lewis, Leya Lewis, Ling Lewis, Ancestry: Jamaican Canadian, English Canadian, awards: 1999 - BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1999 - BWAA Fighter of the Year 1992 - 1994 - WBC Heavyweight Champion, 1997 - 2001 - WBC Heavyweight Champion 1998 - 2001 - Lineal Heavyweight Champion 1999 - 2000 - Undisputed Heavyweight Champion 1999 - 2000 - WBA Heavyweight Champion 1999 - 2001 - IBO Heavyweight Champion 1999 - 2001 - IBF Heavyweight Champion 2001 - 2002 - IBF Heavyweight Champion 2001 - 2004 - WBC Heavyweight Champion 2001 - 2004 - IBO Heavyweight Champion 2001 - 2004Lineal Heavyweight Champion 2002 - 2004 - The Ring Heavyweight Champion, See the events in life of Lennox Lewis in Chronological Order, (British-Canadian Former Professional Boxer and Three-Time World Heavyweight Champion), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUsDqP7fPUk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS33pXnxJGg, https://imsvintagephotos.com/lennoxlewisprofessionalboxer1233649, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lenox_Lewis_2010.jpg, Lennox Lewis was born on 2 September 1965, in West Ham, London, England, to Jamaican parents. Opposed to this, King challenged this decision in court on the basis of a clause in the Lewis-Holyfield rematch contract that said Lewis's first bout as undisputed champion would be against the WBA's number one contender. It is known that during his birth he actually weighed 4.8 kg, and he was offered a name, i.e. In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional heavyweight championships, including the European, British, and Commonwealth titles. He turned professional in 1989 and went on to gain the European title in 1990 and the British Commonwealth Heavyweight title in 1992. Lewis immediately sought a rematch with the new champion; Rahman, however, now being promoted by Don King, tried to secure another opponent for his inaugural title defence. Lennox Lewis Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio-Wiki, Yes (Leviah Lewis, Leya Lewis, Landon Lewis, Ling Lewis). He later became the world heavy-weight champion of the World Boxing Council (WBC). Im the best ever. These days Lewis spends most of the time with his family. [19] Lewis became the first Canadian to win boxing gold in 56 years. Lewis has won the lineal title through winning against Shannon Briggs during the year 1998. You have to play dollars and cents but I'm opting more for the rematch.[51]. Last Name . At the 1986 World Championships, he lost in the preliminary round to Petar Stoimenov of Bulgaria. In 1999, he was conferred the most prestigious sporting award in Britain, BBC Sports Personality of the Year., In 2008, he was inducted into Canadas Sports Hall of Fame., In 2009, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.. In the fall of 2002, Lewis relinquished the IBF portion of his heavyweight title. Pin Boxer Lennox Lewis, 40, and his wife Violet, 28, welcomed their second child (and first daughter) last night in New York. In 1991, he won the British title against the undefeated world champion Gary Mason. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Known for his physical strength, Lewis was able to manoeuvre opponents into punching range and was especially effective against taller opponents. In the year 1999, the boxer was entitled Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He also defeated Mike Dixon and Levi Billups. With both fighters looking tired before the start of round seven, the doctor advised that the fight should be stopped because of a severe cut above Klitschko's left eye, awarding Lewis victory by TKO. I didn't think so at all. He ignored interviewer Jim Grays questions and went on an epic rant, targeting the heavyweight champ. This time the three judges scored the fight unanimously (115113, 116112 & 117111) in favour of Lewis, who became undisputed heavyweight champion of the World. He is 6ft 5in (1.96m) tall, with an 84in (213cm) reach, and weighed about 245lb (111kg) during his boxing prime. That same year Lewis went on to defeat Michael Grant, Franz Botha, and David Tua to retain his IBF and WBC heavyweight titles. Theres no one can stop me. Virgo Boxer #4. [61], In 2011, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. For the next few years Lewis won all his fights and worked to secure another championship fight. [5] At birth he weighed 4.8 kg (10 lb 10 oz), and was given the name Lennox by the doctor, who said "he looked like a Lennox." [6] This set up a rematch between Lewis and McCall, who met on 7 February 1997 in Las Vegas for the WBC title. The Alabama native was the youngest of nine children and the man who later became a sporting legen "Being a father is a joy every day. Evander Holyfield almost walked away from a storied boxing career before it had even really began. 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