Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, winning the super-heavyweight gold medal in 1988. Lewis is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and is considered among the greatest British and Canadian boxers in history.
In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional heavyweight championships, including the European, British, and Commonwealth titles. After winning his first 21 fights, he defeated Donovan Ruddock in 1992 to take over the number one position in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title, refusing to defend it against Lewis. He defended the title three times before an upset knockout loss to Oliver McCall in 1994. Lewis avenged the loss in a 1997 rematch to regain the vacant WBC title.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Lennox Claudius Lewis
- Born: September 2, 1965 — London, England
- Nationality: British
- Height: 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
- Reach: 84 in (213 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: 27 Jun 1989 (Win by KO vs Al Malcolm)
- Last bout: 21 Jun 2003 (Win by TKO vs Vitali Klitschko)
- Total rounds boxed: 225 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Heavyweight
- KO percentage: 78.0% (32 KO wins in 41 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBC heavyweight title (first reign, per the bout table already held by May 8, 1993) – September 24, 1994 (defended against Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson; lost to Oliver McCall); WBC heavyweight title (second reign) February 7, 1997 – April 22, 2001 (won the vacant title from Oliver McCall; defended against Henry Akinwande, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs and Željko Mavrović; added the WBA, IBF and IBO titles on November 13, 1999 against Evander Holyfield and defended them against Michael Grant, Francois Botha and David Tua; lost the WBC, IBF and IBO titles to Hasim Rahman); WBC, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles (third reign) November 17, 2001 – retirement (regained from Hasim Rahman; defended against Mike Tyson on June 8, 2002 and Vitali Klitschko on June 21, 2003, his final bout) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 44
- Wins: 41
- Wins by KO: 32
- Losses: 2
- Losses by KO: 2
- Draws: 1
- No contests: 0
- Born: September 2, 1965 — London, England
- Nationality: British
- Height: 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
- Reach: 84 in (213 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Jun 1989 | Al Malcolm | Win | KO | 2 (6), 0:19 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England |
| 2 | 21 Jul 1989 | Bruce Johnson | Win | TKO | 2 (6) | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |
| 3 | 25 Sep 1989 | Andrew Gerrard | Win | TKO | 4 (6), 0:33 | Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, England |
| 4 | 10 Oct 1989 | Steve Garber | Win | KO | 1 (6) | City Hall, Hull, England |
| 5 | 5 Nov 1989 | Melvin Epps | Win | DQ | 2 (6), 0:30 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — Epps disqualified for not obeying referee's instructions |
| 6 | 18 Dec 1989 | Greg Gorrell | Win | TKO | 5 (8), 0:51 | Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| 7 | 31 Jan 1990 | Noel Quarless | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 1:25 | York Hall, London, England |
| 8 | 22 Mar 1990 | Calvin Jones | Win | KO | 1 (8), 2:34 | Leisure Centre, Gateshead, England |
| 9 | 14 Apr 1990 | Michael Simuwelu | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 0:58 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England |
| 10 | 9 May 1990 | Jorge Dascola | Win | KO | 1 (8), 2:59 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England |
| 11 | 20 May 1990 | Dan Murphy | Win | TKO | 6 (8), 2:11 | Town Hall, Sheffield, England |
| 12 | 27 Jun 1990 | Ossie Ocasio | Win | UD | 8 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England |
| 13 | 11 Jul 1990 | Mike Acey | Win | KO | 2 (10), 0:34 | Superstars Nite Club, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| 14 | 31 Oct 1990 | Jean-Maurice Chanet | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 0:16 | Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, England — ★ Title fight — Won European heavyweight title |
| 15 | 6 Mar 1991 | Gary Mason | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 0:44 | Wembley Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained European heavyweight title; Won British heavyweight title |
| 16 | 12 Jul 1991 | Mike Weaver | Win | KO | 6 (10), 1:05 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US |
| 17 | 30 Sep 1991 | Glenn McCrory | Win | KO | 2 (12), 1:30 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained British and European heavyweight titles |
| 18 | 23 Nov 1991 | Tyrell Biggs | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 2:47 | Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| 19 | 1 Feb 1992 | Levi Billups | Win | UD | 10 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US |
| 20 | 30 Apr 1992 | Derek Williams | Win | TKO | 3 (12), 2:30 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained British and European heavyweight titles; Won Commonwealth heavyweight title |
| 21 | 11 Aug 1992 | Mike Dixon | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 1:02 | Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |
| 22 | 31 Oct 1992 | Donovan Ruddock | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 0:46 | Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title |
| 23 | 8 May 1993 | Tony Tucker | Win | UD | 12 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 24 | 1 Oct 1993 | Frank Bruno | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 1:12 | National Stadium, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 25 | 6 May 1994 | Phil Jackson | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 1:35 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 26 | 24 Sep 1994 | Oliver McCall | Loss | TKO | 2 (12), 0:31 | Wembley Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC heavyweight title |
| 27 | 13 May 1995 | Lionel Butler | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 2:55 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, US |
| 28 | 2 Jul 1995 | Justin Fortune | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 1:48 | Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland |
| 29 | 7 Oct 1995 | Tommy Morrison | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 1:22 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Won IBC heavyweight title |
| 30 | 10 May 1996 | Ray Mercer | Win | MD | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US |
| 31 | 7 Feb 1997 | Oliver McCall | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 0:55 | Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBC heavyweight title |
| 32 | 12 Jul 1997 | Henry Akinwande | Win | DQ | 5 (12), 2:34 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title; Akinwande disqualified for repeated holding |
| 33 | 4 Oct 1997 | Andrew Golota | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:35 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 34 | 28 Mar 1998 | Shannon Briggs | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 1:45 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 35 | 26 Sep 1998 | Željko Mavrović | Win | UD | 12 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title |
| 36 | 13 Mar 1999 | Evander Holyfield | Draw | SD | 12 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title; For WBA and IBF heavyweight titles |
| 37 | 13 Nov 1999 | Evander Holyfield | Win | UD | 12 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC heavyweight title; Won WBA, IBF, and vacant IBO heavyweight titles |
| 38 | 29 Apr 2000 | Michael Grant | Win | KO | 2 (12), 2:53 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 39 | 15 Jul 2000 | Francois Botha | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 2:39 | London Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 40 | 11 Nov 2000 | David Tua | Win | UD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 41 | 22 Apr 2001 | Hasim Rahman | Loss | KO | 5 (12), 2:32 | Carnival City, Brakpan, South Africa — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 42 | 17 Nov 2001 | Hasim Rahman | Win | KO | 4 (12), 1:29 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Won WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 43 | 8 Jun 2002 | Mike Tyson | Win | KO | 8 (12), 2:25 | The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 44 | 21 Jun 2003 | Vitali Klitschko | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 3:00 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBC heavyweight title (first reign, per the bout table already held by May 8, 1993) – September 24, 1994 (defended against Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson; lost to Oliver McCall); WBC heavyweight title (second reign) February 7, 1997 – April 22, 2001 (won the vacant title from Oliver McCall; defended against Henry Akinwande, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs and Željko Mavrović; added the WBA, IBF and IBO titles on November 13, 1999 against Evander Holyfield and defended them against Michael Grant, Francois Botha and David Tua; lost the WBC, IBF and IBO titles to Hasim Rahman); WBC, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles (third reign) November 17, 2001 – retirement (regained from Hasim Rahman; defended against Mike Tyson on June 8, 2002 and Vitali Klitschko on June 21, 2003, his final bout) – all dates per the bout table
- 31 Oct 1990 vs Jean-Maurice Chanet: Won European heavyweight title
- 6 Mar 1991 vs Gary Mason: Retained European heavyweight title; Won British heavyweight title
- 30 Sep 1991 vs Glenn McCrory: Retained British and European heavyweight titles
- 30 Apr 1992 vs Derek Williams: Retained British and European heavyweight titles; Won Commonwealth heavyweight title
- 31 Oct 1992 vs Donovan Ruddock: Retained Commonwealth heavyweight title
- 8 May 1993 vs Tony Tucker: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 1 Oct 1993 vs Frank Bruno: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 6 May 1994 vs Phil Jackson: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 24 Sep 1994 vs Oliver McCall: Lost WBC heavyweight title
- 7 Oct 1995 vs Tommy Morrison: Won IBC heavyweight title
- 7 Feb 1997 vs Oliver McCall: Won vacant WBC heavyweight title
- 12 Jul 1997 vs Henry Akinwande: Retained WBC heavyweight title; Akinwande disqualified for repeated holding
- 4 Oct 1997 vs Andrew Golota: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 28 Mar 1998 vs Shannon Briggs: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 26 Sep 1998 vs Željko Mavrović: Retained WBC heavyweight title
- 13 Mar 1999 vs Evander Holyfield: Retained WBC heavyweight title; For WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
- 13 Nov 1999 vs Evander Holyfield: Retained WBC heavyweight title; Won WBA, IBF, and vacant IBO heavyweight titles
- 29 Apr 2000 vs Michael Grant: Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 15 Jul 2000 vs Francois Botha: Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 11 Nov 2000 vs David Tua: Retained WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 22 Apr 2001 vs Hasim Rahman: Lost WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 17 Nov 2001 vs Hasim Rahman: Won WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 8 Jun 2002 vs Mike Tyson: Retained WBC, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 21 Jun 2003 vs Vitali Klitschko: Retained WBC, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Lenox_Lewis_2010_cropped.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=original
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-10-31.
