I heard a whisper from a good source that Lennox is thinking about coming back in March or April.
The word is he has asked his US TV paymasters to keep a date free for him......
Lewis to return at Easter??
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Twinkle Toes
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 3339
- Joined: 22 Sep 2003, 08:38
There does seem to be a lot of Lewis-haters about. I can't understand why. He's a clean-living guy, he's given plenty back (think of his college in Hackney) and he's always fought the best available opponents.
Make no mistake, Lennox Lewis would talk to you in the street. I can think of a lot of heavies who wouldn't.
Make no mistake, Lennox Lewis would talk to you in the street. I can think of a lot of heavies who wouldn't.
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Twinkle Toes
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 3339
- Joined: 22 Sep 2003, 08:38
Lewis lived in Crayford when he first turned pro, next door to my Auntie (no bullshit; Frank Maloney, who had a pub in Crayford, bought him the house). I used to laugh at all the crap about Lewis being gay. My auntie told me she could hear Lennox shagging women through the wall!
And she said Lennox loved showing people the house; she says the pride in his voice was unmistakeable. Remember, he had it tough growing up in East Ham and then in Kitchener, Ontario, with just him and his single mum.
When Maloney's backer, Roger Levitt, got into trouble financially, the house was repossessed. He and his mum came round to my Auntie in tears.
They're just normal people.
And she said Lennox loved showing people the house; she says the pride in his voice was unmistakeable. Remember, he had it tough growing up in East Ham and then in Kitchener, Ontario, with just him and his single mum.
When Maloney's backer, Roger Levitt, got into trouble financially, the house was repossessed. He and his mum came round to my Auntie in tears.
They're just normal people.
On the Lewis theme, there's a good piece on his one-time rival Riddick Bowe in the New York Daily News:
The vibrant yellow, orange and gold fall foliage bursts from the Allegheny Mountains, providing a brilliant background for the Potomac River as it rumbles toward the nation's capital.
Riddick Bowe might have chosen this location for his training camp when he was heavyweight champ. Indeed, he can still glance at the rustic setting when he jogs three miles most mornings.
But Bowe is not here to train. He is not here of his own volition. His enjoyment of the view is limited by a 15-foot high fence with coils of razor wire at the top and bottom.
Bowe is inmate number 13603 at the Federal Correctional Institution, serving an 18-month sentence on a federal domestic violence conviction.
On a recent morning, after he had finished his daily chore of cleaning the stairs in his housing unit of the medium security prison, Bowe breaks up the monotony of his day with an interview. The small, beige room feels claustrophic but Bowe says it is bigger than the 8-by-13 foot cell he shares with two other inmates.
Bowe talks about his life in prison, his shattered relationship and legal battle with his former promoter, Rock Newman, and his plans to resume boxing once he is released next April.
It was on Nov. 4, 1995 that Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight championship. It looked then as if he would reign for as long as he wanted.
But by December 1996, Bowe had been beaten up twice by Andrew Golota - though he won both bouts by disqualification - and was a shot fighter. He retired at age 29 with a 40-1 record - his lone loss to Holyfield.
Just as his ring career came to an end, his personal life began spiraling out of control. There was the failed stint (11 days) in the Marine Corps, then his attempt to kidnap his ex-wife, Judy.
"I've got no one to blame but myself," he says of his current plight.
Bowe is far removed from his youth in Brownsville, where he grew up on the same streets as Mike Tyson. As the youngest of 12 children, Bowe was always vying for the affection of his mother.
The story of the 1988 Olympic silver medalist walking his mother home from a late-night factory shift through the Brooklyn streets solidified Bowe's image as "Big Daddy" - the gentle, benevolent giant. He was a Teflon heavyweight who managed to escape the drugs and violence of the neighborhood.
Bowe, dressed in prison-issued khaki pants and shirt, is understandably not as jovial as he was when he was entertaining fans with his dead-on impressions of Muhammad Ali and Ronald Reagan. There is nothing fun or funny about being locked up.
"The hardest thing for me is not being with my wife. Other than that I'm OK," he says, calling his stint an extended training camp. "It's hard for me because of my lifestyle. I'm accustomed to sleeping in a king-sized bed, watching a big screen TV, that's the hardest adjustment for me. Other than that I've adjusted not too bad."
Bowe, 35, began serving his sentence in April, after a plea arrangement unraveled. His lawyers, including famed attorney Johnny Cochran, had gotten Bowe a deal based on medical findings that Bowe had suffered brain damage during his career that impaired his decision-making. Bowe said he doesn't have brain damage and it was simply a ploy to get a reduced sentence.
In June, Bowe was acquitted of assault charges for allegedly hitting his present wife, Terri, her two children and a family friend at their home. Terri Bowe and three other witnesses didn't appear in court, and there was not enough evidence to prove the assault charges.
Bowe said he "doesn't have a mean bone in his body" and until the strange kidnapping case involving his ex-wife many people who knew him would have agreed. "Although Bowe could have bouts of generosity, he could be very mean-spirited," said Newman.
Bowe was found guilty of kidnapping Judy, who is now remarried, and their children from her suburban Charlotte, N.C. home and attempting to drive them to his home in Maryland in 1998. The journey ended at a McDonald's in Virginia after Judy telephoned police from the restaurant's bathroom.
Police found pepper spray, handcuffs, duct tape and a knife in the car. Bowe says he didn't intend to use those items to harm his wife. He says he thought she was involved with another man and he might need those things to subdue the man if he tried to prevent him from getting his wife and children into the car.
"I wouldn't say I regret it," Bowe says. "I regret being here. When you're in love it can be a beautiful thing. But the other side is you do things you wouldn't normally do. I never knew that the law said you couldn't go get your wife and kids."
Later he says: "I realize what I did was wrong. I'm paying my debt to society. I'm hoping and praying when I get out of here that the American public will give me a second opportunity to show that I'm sorry for what I did. I just want to get a second opportunity to be a fighter or whatever the case may be."
It will be an uphill struggle to return to boxing. No prominent promoter will put Bowe in a match because of his medical history. Ultimately, any comeback will hinge on whether he can pass a physical to be licensed by a state's boxing commission. HBO cancelled Bowe's $100 million contract after he retired in 1997 and said it wasn't interested in broadcasting any of his future bouts.
Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports president, stands by that.
"We want what's best for Riddick Bowe," Greenburg said. "I can't foresee the day we're doing any Riddick Bowe fights on the network. You can't forget those MRIs (on his brain). I don't think you engage in those kinds of ploys in the legal system. MRIs are MRIs.
"And besides all that, he would have to prove himself in the heavyweight division. He's going to have to run through several brick walls to get back to the top."
Bowe's speech, which was slurred after his last bout against Golota, is clear and coherent now. He says he weighed 320 pounds when he entered prison, but thanks to a daily three-mile run he has shed 50 of them. At 6-5, he is still an imposing figure and looks like he can still handle himself in the ring. But the brain injury is troubling.
"I have a report from the government doctors that I don't have a brain injury," Bowe says. "They knew it was a ploy to get me off. I'll sign a document that you can take away my license if I'm getting hit too much. Just being fair to me, they should let me have two or three fights to see if I still can do it. Three fights, that's all I need."
Bowe was never a stickler for training. He would balloon in weight between bouts sometimes by as much as 70 pounds. The late Eddie Futch, Bowe's former trainer, believed the weight issue diminished his skills and led to his boxing demise.
"I'm much more dedicated now," Bowe claims. "I'm older. I'm smarter."
Bowe says he doesn't want to return to boxing because he needs the money.
"I don't know how to do anything else," he says. "I was born to fight. The biggest mistake I ever made was listening to Rock Newman and letting him talk me into retiring. I have only two regrets in my life: marrying my first wife and hiring Rock Newman."
Bowe is suing Newman for $55 million, money he claims Newman stole from him when they were together. Estimates are that Bowe grossed $80 million in his career. Bowe also alleges that Newman received a kickback from HBO for getting him to retire before his contract expired. Newman and HBO deny both charges.
"That is actually sad," Newman said. "I'm having to go through the absurdity of having to defend myself. If there was ever any lawsuit that was frivolous and without merit, this is it."
Newman said he and Bowe split in 1998 and he left him set for life.
"When I first met Riddick, he was living on the sixth floor of a two-bedroom apartment at 250 Lott Ave (Brownsville, Brooklyn) with his wife, two babies, his mother and two other brothers and sisters," Newman said. "When I left him he was worth over $20 million. I wish someone would take advantage of me like that."
Bowe is due to be released in April 2004. As he is led back to his cell, he is struck by a thought.
"I've got the perfect title for my comeback," he says. "From Prison to Prime Time: The Return of Riddick Bowe."
The vibrant yellow, orange and gold fall foliage bursts from the Allegheny Mountains, providing a brilliant background for the Potomac River as it rumbles toward the nation's capital.
Riddick Bowe might have chosen this location for his training camp when he was heavyweight champ. Indeed, he can still glance at the rustic setting when he jogs three miles most mornings.
But Bowe is not here to train. He is not here of his own volition. His enjoyment of the view is limited by a 15-foot high fence with coils of razor wire at the top and bottom.
Bowe is inmate number 13603 at the Federal Correctional Institution, serving an 18-month sentence on a federal domestic violence conviction.
On a recent morning, after he had finished his daily chore of cleaning the stairs in his housing unit of the medium security prison, Bowe breaks up the monotony of his day with an interview. The small, beige room feels claustrophic but Bowe says it is bigger than the 8-by-13 foot cell he shares with two other inmates.
Bowe talks about his life in prison, his shattered relationship and legal battle with his former promoter, Rock Newman, and his plans to resume boxing once he is released next April.
It was on Nov. 4, 1995 that Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight championship. It looked then as if he would reign for as long as he wanted.
But by December 1996, Bowe had been beaten up twice by Andrew Golota - though he won both bouts by disqualification - and was a shot fighter. He retired at age 29 with a 40-1 record - his lone loss to Holyfield.
Just as his ring career came to an end, his personal life began spiraling out of control. There was the failed stint (11 days) in the Marine Corps, then his attempt to kidnap his ex-wife, Judy.
"I've got no one to blame but myself," he says of his current plight.
Bowe is far removed from his youth in Brownsville, where he grew up on the same streets as Mike Tyson. As the youngest of 12 children, Bowe was always vying for the affection of his mother.
The story of the 1988 Olympic silver medalist walking his mother home from a late-night factory shift through the Brooklyn streets solidified Bowe's image as "Big Daddy" - the gentle, benevolent giant. He was a Teflon heavyweight who managed to escape the drugs and violence of the neighborhood.
Bowe, dressed in prison-issued khaki pants and shirt, is understandably not as jovial as he was when he was entertaining fans with his dead-on impressions of Muhammad Ali and Ronald Reagan. There is nothing fun or funny about being locked up.
"The hardest thing for me is not being with my wife. Other than that I'm OK," he says, calling his stint an extended training camp. "It's hard for me because of my lifestyle. I'm accustomed to sleeping in a king-sized bed, watching a big screen TV, that's the hardest adjustment for me. Other than that I've adjusted not too bad."
Bowe, 35, began serving his sentence in April, after a plea arrangement unraveled. His lawyers, including famed attorney Johnny Cochran, had gotten Bowe a deal based on medical findings that Bowe had suffered brain damage during his career that impaired his decision-making. Bowe said he doesn't have brain damage and it was simply a ploy to get a reduced sentence.
In June, Bowe was acquitted of assault charges for allegedly hitting his present wife, Terri, her two children and a family friend at their home. Terri Bowe and three other witnesses didn't appear in court, and there was not enough evidence to prove the assault charges.
Bowe said he "doesn't have a mean bone in his body" and until the strange kidnapping case involving his ex-wife many people who knew him would have agreed. "Although Bowe could have bouts of generosity, he could be very mean-spirited," said Newman.
Bowe was found guilty of kidnapping Judy, who is now remarried, and their children from her suburban Charlotte, N.C. home and attempting to drive them to his home in Maryland in 1998. The journey ended at a McDonald's in Virginia after Judy telephoned police from the restaurant's bathroom.
Police found pepper spray, handcuffs, duct tape and a knife in the car. Bowe says he didn't intend to use those items to harm his wife. He says he thought she was involved with another man and he might need those things to subdue the man if he tried to prevent him from getting his wife and children into the car.
"I wouldn't say I regret it," Bowe says. "I regret being here. When you're in love it can be a beautiful thing. But the other side is you do things you wouldn't normally do. I never knew that the law said you couldn't go get your wife and kids."
Later he says: "I realize what I did was wrong. I'm paying my debt to society. I'm hoping and praying when I get out of here that the American public will give me a second opportunity to show that I'm sorry for what I did. I just want to get a second opportunity to be a fighter or whatever the case may be."
It will be an uphill struggle to return to boxing. No prominent promoter will put Bowe in a match because of his medical history. Ultimately, any comeback will hinge on whether he can pass a physical to be licensed by a state's boxing commission. HBO cancelled Bowe's $100 million contract after he retired in 1997 and said it wasn't interested in broadcasting any of his future bouts.
Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports president, stands by that.
"We want what's best for Riddick Bowe," Greenburg said. "I can't foresee the day we're doing any Riddick Bowe fights on the network. You can't forget those MRIs (on his brain). I don't think you engage in those kinds of ploys in the legal system. MRIs are MRIs.
"And besides all that, he would have to prove himself in the heavyweight division. He's going to have to run through several brick walls to get back to the top."
Bowe's speech, which was slurred after his last bout against Golota, is clear and coherent now. He says he weighed 320 pounds when he entered prison, but thanks to a daily three-mile run he has shed 50 of them. At 6-5, he is still an imposing figure and looks like he can still handle himself in the ring. But the brain injury is troubling.
"I have a report from the government doctors that I don't have a brain injury," Bowe says. "They knew it was a ploy to get me off. I'll sign a document that you can take away my license if I'm getting hit too much. Just being fair to me, they should let me have two or three fights to see if I still can do it. Three fights, that's all I need."
Bowe was never a stickler for training. He would balloon in weight between bouts sometimes by as much as 70 pounds. The late Eddie Futch, Bowe's former trainer, believed the weight issue diminished his skills and led to his boxing demise.
"I'm much more dedicated now," Bowe claims. "I'm older. I'm smarter."
Bowe says he doesn't want to return to boxing because he needs the money.
"I don't know how to do anything else," he says. "I was born to fight. The biggest mistake I ever made was listening to Rock Newman and letting him talk me into retiring. I have only two regrets in my life: marrying my first wife and hiring Rock Newman."
Bowe is suing Newman for $55 million, money he claims Newman stole from him when they were together. Estimates are that Bowe grossed $80 million in his career. Bowe also alleges that Newman received a kickback from HBO for getting him to retire before his contract expired. Newman and HBO deny both charges.
"That is actually sad," Newman said. "I'm having to go through the absurdity of having to defend myself. If there was ever any lawsuit that was frivolous and without merit, this is it."
Newman said he and Bowe split in 1998 and he left him set for life.
"When I first met Riddick, he was living on the sixth floor of a two-bedroom apartment at 250 Lott Ave (Brownsville, Brooklyn) with his wife, two babies, his mother and two other brothers and sisters," Newman said. "When I left him he was worth over $20 million. I wish someone would take advantage of me like that."
Bowe is due to be released in April 2004. As he is led back to his cell, he is struck by a thought.
"I've got the perfect title for my comeback," he says. "From Prison to Prime Time: The Return of Riddick Bowe."
Personally I believe Lewis should have retired right after he beat Tyson as it would have been the perfect ending absent of any controversy which will of course be remembered in the wake of Lewis-V Klitschko if he did happen to retire now. Most would agree that he's got nothing to prove, but I feel that all the respect he gained from beating Tyson from even the most diehard of his critics has now waned.
If Lewis does fight again, I hope it's to do a job on V Klitschko.
If Lewis does fight again, I hope it's to do a job on V Klitschko.
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jamesmcdonnell
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 45231
- Joined: 12 Nov 2003, 06:11
Lewis should stay out of the ring.
He's only going to look worse than he did against Vitali, at 38, he simply cannot get motivated, or in shape any more. He looked so old and slow against Vitali, and right now, I think Lewis is ready to be taken by someone like Guinn with fast hands, the weight of experience is with Lewis, but I wouldn't like to see him in against someone who is a good combination puncher/mover.
Although I think he may well have prevailed if that bout with Vitali had continued, I'm not certain by a long chalk.
Lewis has achieved everything he needed to, he's too old now to be fighting once a year and get away with it.
Although I think he may well have prevailed if that bout with Vitali had continued, I'm not certain by a long chalk.
Lewis has achieved everything he needed to, he's too old now to be fighting once a year and get away with it.
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Eric the Viking
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 1354
- Joined: 03 Apr 2003, 21:40
Yes, it's nice to see another heavy hitter likes James M. here - although he and I disagree quite strongly on the outcome of DLH/Mosley 2, I enjoy James' articles that frequently appear in the MaxBoxing "Today's News Links" section.
Welcome, James! Hope you'll become a regular contributor around these parts - while Bennie has things well in hand, I'm sure he wouldn't mind an occasional break fro his aching fingers. ;)
Welcome, James! Hope you'll become a regular contributor around these parts - while Bennie has things well in hand, I'm sure he wouldn't mind an occasional break fro his aching fingers. ;)
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jamesmcdonnell
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 45231
- Joined: 12 Nov 2003, 06:11
Cheers lads
To be honest I've been using boxrec for research since it went live, and I never really even noticed that there was a forum attached to it.
I'll definetly be coming
Oh, and I write exclusively for maxboxing.com these days, I'm their UK correspondent now. I enjoyed writing for Eastside, especially as users can give immediate feedback, but you have to go for who you think is the best long term bet.
I've on broadband these days, and I've realised how good this forum is. Anyone who has any information relevant to British fights or fighters, or possible opponents for British fighters, don't hesitate to contact me on [email protected]
Regards
James McDonnell
I'll definetly be coming
Oh, and I write exclusively for maxboxing.com these days, I'm their UK correspondent now. I enjoyed writing for Eastside, especially as users can give immediate feedback, but you have to go for who you think is the best long term bet.
I've on broadband these days, and I've realised how good this forum is. Anyone who has any information relevant to British fights or fighters, or possible opponents for British fighters, don't hesitate to contact me on [email protected]
Regards
James McDonnell
Lewis Should retire and Vacant the belts immeidately, he has reached that age when heavyweights have a habit of gettin humilated.
Think Louis - Marciano,
Think Ali - Holmes
Think Holmes - Tyson.
If he came back against Vitali i think he would leave boxing on his back and his reputation damaged.
He does not need this, he has secured himself as a good champion and a good role model, he has no financial burdens and can Retire and stay Connected with boxing in other ways.
If he does not i think we will see him leave boxing on his back, not how many would like to see him go.
Think Louis - Marciano,
Think Ali - Holmes
Think Holmes - Tyson.
If he came back against Vitali i think he would leave boxing on his back and his reputation damaged.
He does not need this, he has secured himself as a good champion and a good role model, he has no financial burdens and can Retire and stay Connected with boxing in other ways.
If he does not i think we will see him leave boxing on his back, not how many would like to see him go.
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Dave1armedTua
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 204
- Joined: 01 Apr 2003, 22:29