from the sun
£15k bet? Make that £15
By PAT SHEEHAN
LENNOX LEWIS has earned more than £50million from boxing but no one can accuse the world heavyweight champion of being flash with his cash.
Frank Maloney has revealed Lewis kept such a tight rein on his spending the most he ever saw the star splash out at the races was £15!
Maloney, sacked as Lewis’ manager after more than a decade guiding his career, said: “It was not long after Lewis beat Tony Tucker in a world title fight and a bookmaker pal of mine invited us to Ascot.
“The bookies’ runner came into our box to take bets and my brother Eugene said he wanted ‘two’ on one particular horse, meaning two grand.
“Lennox said he wanted 15 on the same horse, leaving the runner stunned — but he recovered enough to ask Eugene on the quiet whether he really meant 15 grand.
“Eugene replied ‘Don’t be daft, Lennox means 15 quid, he’s shrewd not daft like me’.
“Maybe £15,000 should have been the stake because I remember the horse romping home but Lennox was happy enough with his winnings.
“I wasn’t too happy though when years later he sacked me as his manager without having the bottle to tell me to my face.
“After 10 years together he couldn’t pick up the phone or call me into his office to tell me straight that I was out in the cold. I have yet to speak to Lennox even though I was axed some three years ago.
“But to tell you the honest truth if I went to my grave without ever speaking to him again I would die happy.
“If Lennox has bad news for you he will get someone else to deliver it and in my case it came via a fax machine.
"I don’t think Lennox feels anything for me. Why should he? It was just a business arrangement.
“To be frank it had gone sour between us long before I was kicked out and I can trace it back to the historic moment when Lewis was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”
That was in November, 1999. Maloney added: “I was at the top with him as manager of the ultimate sportsman who had officially beaten Evander Holyfield at the second attempt.
“For 10 years I had pursued a dream, an uneducated kid from South London’s back streets, one of life’s hustlers — but it all began to feel like an anti-climax.
“There was an empty feeling because since the first Holyfield fight my relationship with Lewis was changing, I was no longer part of decision making.
"I was his manager in name only, going to work was no longer a pleasure.
“I hugged Lewis in the ring after the Holyfield II verdict but despite the moment being so very special I also felt so very, very hollow.
“A short time later I was really hurt when Lewis questioned my loyalty after I arranged a Julius Francis fight against Mike Tyson.
"He felt I should have made sure Francis fought on a bill staged by his former promoter Panos Eliades and not by rival allegedly who was putting on the show in Manchester.
“I simply pointed out I was doing for Julius what I had already done for him for a decade — getting him the best deal.”
Getting the best deal has seen Lewis’ career earnings top £50m, including around £20m for knocking out Mike Tyson in Memphis in June last year.
But those figures looked just a distant dream when Lewis’ world fell apart with shock defeats, first to Oliver McCall in London in 1994 and then against Hasim Rahman in Johannesburg two years ago.
Recalling the McCall stunner, Maloney said: “I was in a daze, trying to piece together what had gone wrong — but nothing could stop the tears streaming down my face.
“I felt nothing like that emotion when Lewis was beaten again by Hasim Rahman in April 2001. Again preparation was not right. There was an air of arrogance and cockiness.
“Lennox had taken the whole thing too lightly and once more paid the price. It was strange hearing Lewis’ team still call him ‘champ’.
"It was as if the punch that had detached Lewis from his senses had also detached them from reality.”
Lennox Lewis at the races
My Favourite Lewis & Maloney story is the one where LL and M are playing pool in LL's flat. FM goes to the chippie and bumps into Alex Higgins. Invites Higgin up to the flat and asks lewis if his "mate can play against you" (for money of course).
Higgins proceeds to play badly for a few games but as the stakes rise, Alex start wiping the floor with Lewis.
Then Lewis' minder walks in and says, "Hey, your Alex Higgins aren't you".
Maloney and Higgins get chased out.
Higgins proceeds to play badly for a few games but as the stakes rise, Alex start wiping the floor with Lewis.
Then Lewis' minder walks in and says, "Hey, your Alex Higgins aren't you".
Maloney and Higgins get chased out.