Lennox Lewis

THE PUGILISTIC SPECIALIST

THE PUGILISTIC SPECIALIST

Skill, power, fitness, determination to succeed. Lennox Lewis had it all as a boxer, and sure enough the great British-born fighter achieved his aim of becoming heavyweight champion of the world – but his journey toward that goal was never straightforward.

Lewis burst on to the scene winning super-heavyweight gold for Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. He then opted to turn pro in the country of his birth. ‘The Lion’ struggled to convince the British public he was champion material. But fights with the likes of Oliver McCall, Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko changed their minds. Lewis became the first British world heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1899.

In turn, A Pugilistic History is not a traditional biography. Instead, it offers expert insight into every one of Lewis’s 44 professional contests, as well as events outside the ring in the life of the self-styled ‘Pugilistic Specialist’ – a fighter whose popularity and appreciation has rocketed skywards since his retirement.

Read Lennox Lewis: A Pugilistic History and discover the inside stories behind the great British boxer’s finest fights:

  • RIDDICK BOWE, 1988: A Britain of Jamaican parentage wins the Olympic gold medal by beating the American favourite to set him on the road to professional glory
  • JEAN MAURICE CHANET, 1990:  Lewis wins his first professional title but also has to contend with shenanigans of a medical kind from his French opponent
  • RAZOR RUDDOCK, 1992: The dangerous Ruddock actually held an amateur win over the Brit who was determined to put the record straight. And he did!
  • FRANK BRUNO, 1993: Lewis wins the ‘Battle of Britain’ grudge match to finally convince the British public that he really is their champion
  • OLIVER McCALL 2, 1997: Lennox regains his titles but the behaviour of his opponent is probably the most bizarre ever seen in a boxing ring
  • HASIM RAHMAN, 2001: A cameo role in a blockbuster movie has dire consequences for Lennox Lewis
  • HASIM RAHMAN 2, 2001: Revenge is sweet, but not before the pair go to work early during a pre-fight press conference
  • MIKE TYSON, 2002: A line of security guards separate the two men in the ring, and that’s before the first bell has even rung...

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Lennox Lewis.