Ted “Kid “ Lewis ( Gershon Mendeloff ) 24 Oct 1894 – 20 Oct 1970
World Welterweight Champion 1915 – 19
British Feather, Welter and Middleweight Champion 1914 – 24
Won 205 ( 81 ko )
Lost 36
Drawn 17
Total 301
He won 9 titles at weights ranging from featherweight to middleweight. Born in London 24 Oct 1894 and was to start boxing professionally at 14. In 1914 after winning the British and the European featherweight titles he went to Australia where he had five 20 round contests within a period of 63 days.
He then moved onto the United States, as a welterweight, and during the next 5 years he was to win the World title twice, had 10 championship bouts and in total won 26 fights, lost 5, drawn 2 and had 63 no-decision contests – the majority of which it was judged he won. He was to fight Jack Britton – his greatest rival in the welterweights – some 20 times in different States.
After the First World War he returned to England and won a further six British and European titles and , in 1922, challenged George Carpentier for the world light heavyweight crown. Carpentier scored a dramatic knockout in the first round when Lewis turned to make a protest to the ref and left himself wide open. Jack Dempsey who missed the ko , he was signing autographs at the time, said “It was merely a matter of a game man against a good big man” .
An attempt to win back his welterweight crown was thwarted by Jack Britton and the younger fighters were to strip him of his other titles until he retired at the age of 35. at the age of 63 he had a new role as assistant to his son who was a prominent film director in London.
more details to follow on the fights
Ted "Kid" Lewis
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robert.snell1
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Collins2000
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Yes, Lewis worked for Mosley at one time. I think this page shows the photo which you refer to
http://www.antekprizering.com/ttlewiscut.html
http://www.antekprizering.com/ttlewiscut.html
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robert.snell1
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mosely
thanks for clearing up that issue as I have been further reading on him and was a bit put off when I saw his involvement with that bunch
nice to see he gave several of them a well deserved thump.
nice to see he gave several of them a well deserved thump.
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Collins2000
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robert.snell1
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robert.snell1
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update
Ted “Kid “ Lewis ( Gershon Mendeloff ) 24 Oct 1894 – 20 Oct 1970
Nicknamed the “Aldgate Sphinx.”
World Welterweight Champion 1915 – 19
British Feather, Welter and Middleweight Champion 1914 – 24
Won 205 ( 81 KO )
Lost 36
Drawn 17
Total 301
Height 5’8.5”
Weight 116-166lb
Managers – Charles Rose-Freeman Bernstein-Jimmy Johnston-Charles Harvey
During his career Ted “Kid” Lewis won 9 titles at weights ranging from featherweight to middleweight. Ted Lewis was born in London 24 Oct 1894 and was to start boxing professionally at the age of 14. It seems a street brawl in 1909 prompted a local police officer to suggest to Lewis he could “get paid for fighting’ by boxing at the local Judean Club. In that year he made his debut appearance as a boxer and in 1911 he was to sign his first professional contract for sixteen fights at the Premierland boxing hall on Back Church Lane, East London.
In 1913, Lewis was the first boxer to use a protective mouthpiece. It was designed for him by his dentist, Jack Marks, himself a former fighter. The mouthpiece soon became—and continues to be—standard equipment in the sport of boxing.
In 1914, after winning the British (October 1913) and the European (February 1914) featherweight titles at the Premierland boxing hall on Back Church Lane, East London, he went to Australia where he had five 20 round contests all within a period of 63 days. At that time he was the youngest ever holder of the British Featherweight title.
He then moved onto the United States, as a welterweight, and during the course of the next 5 years he was to win the World title twice, have 10 championship bouts and in total won 26 fights, lost 5, drawn 2 and also chalk up 63 no-decision contests – the majority of which it was judged he won. On moving to the United States Lewis was to meet, in New York, his future wife Elsie Schneider. His celebrity status was such that Charlie Chaplin was to become the godfather of their son.
When he won a 12-round decision over World Welterweight Champion Jack Britton in Boston on August 31, 1915, he was the first Englishman to win a world boxing title in the United States. He and the American Britton were to fight 20 times between 1915 and 1921, with Lewis losing the title to Britton in 1916, regaining it the following year, and losing it for the final time in March 1919.
After the First World War he returned to England ( Dec 1919) and won a further six British and European titles. He relinquished his claim to the British Empire and European Welterweight titles in December 1920. In June 1921, he won the British Middleweight crown, and less than four months later, the European Middleweight title.
In May 1922 he challenged George Carpentier for the world light heavyweight crown. Carpentier scored a dramatic knockout in the first round when Lewis turned to make a protest to the ref and left himself wide open. Jack Dempsey who missed the knockout , he was signing autographs at the time, said “It was merely a matter of a game man against a good big man” .
However in mid-June of the same year he KO’d Frankie Burns to win the Empire Middleweight title. Lewis lost the last of his European boxing crowns in November 1924.
Upon his ring retirement in 1929, after twenty years a fighter, the gambling, generous Kid Lewis was not well off, in spite of estimates that his ring earnings in the United States alone exceeded a half a million dollars. In 1931 Oswald Mosley as a youth training instructor employed him. As Lewis became aware of the true politics of Mosley he resigned by knocking him across the room and on his way out got two more guys for good measure.
At the age of 63 he had a new role as assistant to his son who was by then a prominent film director in London.
In 1966, Lewis now a widower, moved to Nightingale House, a home for aged Jews in Clapham. It was there he died in 1970 at the age of 77. Mike Tyson said Lewis was "probably the greatest fighter to come out of Britain." Lewis was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
On the 25 September 2003 his achievments where commemorated by an English Heritage Blue Plaque. The plaque was unveiled on his former home Nightingale House, Nightingale Lane, Clapham, by his son Morton Lewis.
The end
Nicknamed the “Aldgate Sphinx.”
World Welterweight Champion 1915 – 19
British Feather, Welter and Middleweight Champion 1914 – 24
Won 205 ( 81 KO )
Lost 36
Drawn 17
Total 301
Height 5’8.5”
Weight 116-166lb
Managers – Charles Rose-Freeman Bernstein-Jimmy Johnston-Charles Harvey
During his career Ted “Kid” Lewis won 9 titles at weights ranging from featherweight to middleweight. Ted Lewis was born in London 24 Oct 1894 and was to start boxing professionally at the age of 14. It seems a street brawl in 1909 prompted a local police officer to suggest to Lewis he could “get paid for fighting’ by boxing at the local Judean Club. In that year he made his debut appearance as a boxer and in 1911 he was to sign his first professional contract for sixteen fights at the Premierland boxing hall on Back Church Lane, East London.
In 1913, Lewis was the first boxer to use a protective mouthpiece. It was designed for him by his dentist, Jack Marks, himself a former fighter. The mouthpiece soon became—and continues to be—standard equipment in the sport of boxing.
In 1914, after winning the British (October 1913) and the European (February 1914) featherweight titles at the Premierland boxing hall on Back Church Lane, East London, he went to Australia where he had five 20 round contests all within a period of 63 days. At that time he was the youngest ever holder of the British Featherweight title.
He then moved onto the United States, as a welterweight, and during the course of the next 5 years he was to win the World title twice, have 10 championship bouts and in total won 26 fights, lost 5, drawn 2 and also chalk up 63 no-decision contests – the majority of which it was judged he won. On moving to the United States Lewis was to meet, in New York, his future wife Elsie Schneider. His celebrity status was such that Charlie Chaplin was to become the godfather of their son.
When he won a 12-round decision over World Welterweight Champion Jack Britton in Boston on August 31, 1915, he was the first Englishman to win a world boxing title in the United States. He and the American Britton were to fight 20 times between 1915 and 1921, with Lewis losing the title to Britton in 1916, regaining it the following year, and losing it for the final time in March 1919.
After the First World War he returned to England ( Dec 1919) and won a further six British and European titles. He relinquished his claim to the British Empire and European Welterweight titles in December 1920. In June 1921, he won the British Middleweight crown, and less than four months later, the European Middleweight title.
In May 1922 he challenged George Carpentier for the world light heavyweight crown. Carpentier scored a dramatic knockout in the first round when Lewis turned to make a protest to the ref and left himself wide open. Jack Dempsey who missed the knockout , he was signing autographs at the time, said “It was merely a matter of a game man against a good big man” .
However in mid-June of the same year he KO’d Frankie Burns to win the Empire Middleweight title. Lewis lost the last of his European boxing crowns in November 1924.
Upon his ring retirement in 1929, after twenty years a fighter, the gambling, generous Kid Lewis was not well off, in spite of estimates that his ring earnings in the United States alone exceeded a half a million dollars. In 1931 Oswald Mosley as a youth training instructor employed him. As Lewis became aware of the true politics of Mosley he resigned by knocking him across the room and on his way out got two more guys for good measure.
At the age of 63 he had a new role as assistant to his son who was by then a prominent film director in London.
In 1966, Lewis now a widower, moved to Nightingale House, a home for aged Jews in Clapham. It was there he died in 1970 at the age of 77. Mike Tyson said Lewis was "probably the greatest fighter to come out of Britain." Lewis was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
On the 25 September 2003 his achievments where commemorated by an English Heritage Blue Plaque. The plaque was unveiled on his former home Nightingale House, Nightingale Lane, Clapham, by his son Morton Lewis.
The end
I've read that one i thought it was a pretty good read. It addresses the Mosley issue in it. It seems lewis wasn't fully aware of the nature of the politics he was getting involved with. It says that when he found out he cut off his connections with Mosley straight away.*Alex* wrote:Thanks for the info Rob. I'm reading "Ted Kid Lewis - His Life and Times" by Morton Lewis at the moment. So far a great a read and i'd highly reccomend it to anyone who's interested in the era.
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robert.snell1
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I would be interested to know what the book says of his involvement with Oswald Mosley. i understand that he was paid £60 per week. It is very hard to accept that he was so stupid not to be aware of the what they were about.*Alex* wrote:Thanks for the info Rob. I'm reading "Ted Kid Lewis - His Life and Times" by Morton Lewis at the moment. So far a great a read and i'd highly reccomend it to anyone who's interested in the era.