Lennox Lewis' ties to Canada remain strong
Lennox Lewis, reality TV star?
The former world heavyweight boxing champion finds the idea intriguing, especially after a recent stint on The Celebrity Apprentice whet his appetite for the genre.
"That's something to think about," Lewis said Wednesday. "You definitely won't see me on 'Dancing With The Stars'. I've got big feet."
There's no need to rush into anything for Lewis. Aside from providing boxing commentary for HBO, he's busy examining business proposals and scanning scripts while pondering more ventures into reality television.
Then there's his selection for induction to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, further validation for his outstanding boxing career, which ended in 2004 and left him time to pursue other options.
One of them was appearing on The Celebrity Apprentice, where he showed he can be as nimble and intelligent in the boardroom as he once was in the ring. He was fired by Donald Trump on the show's penultimate episode, likely the tycoon's most intimidating dismissal ever.
"My arena is the ring and his arena is in the boardroom," said Lewis, "so I have to give it to him there."
Lewis, who was raised in Kitchener, Ont., remains close to Canada these days even as he splits time between homes in England, where he was born, Jamaica, where his parents are from, and Miami. His mother still lives north of the border and he visits her frequently, along with friends "in all the provinces."
"There's a big connection to Canada," he said. "And it's very deep in my heart, it's a place where I spent most of my life."
Lewis, 42, won super heavyweight boxing gold for Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, pummelling American Riddick Bowe to earn a second-round TKO.
But he drew some scorn after he decided fight out of Britain when he launched his pro career, a decision he says he made to avoid the stranglehold promoter Don King had on the sport with heavyweights like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bowe.
"They were getting all the acclaim," said Lewis. "So I decided to do it from the European side, just like how Wayne Gretzky went to America."
Lewis, the WBC title-holder at the time, became the undisputed champ in 1999 when he beat Evander Holyfield in a unification bout. It was a close but unanimous decision that came eight months after the boxers fought to a disputed draw.
The final fight of his career was a WBC title defence against Vitali Klitschko in 2003, winning by TKO when the doctor stopped the fight because of a cut over the Ukrainian's eye.
While fans hoped for a rematch, Lewis called it quits in 2004, finishing with a record of 41-2-1 with 32 knockouts.
His rivals included big-name flighters like Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe and Canadian Donovan (Razor) Ruddock. But times have changed in the sport.
The lack of star power - Wladimir Klitschko holds the IBF title, Samuel Peter is the WBC champ and Ruslan Chagaev owns the WBA crown - has seen heavyweight boxing cede ground to mixed martial arts in recent years and it's widely believed to be a sport in decline.
"I think the rise of MMA is good, it's a sport I enjoy watching sometimes. It's very scrappy," said Lewis. "Boxing just needs a couple of stars and it will be back on its feet again. We're just waiting for that star to show himself.
"Boxing is not only a science, it's a great sport because boxing you only use your hands, that's why it's a pugilist's sport. Maybe it's lost its shine, that's because a lot of good heavyweights have retired and we're just waiting for that eruption of the next star."
The gold in Seoul remains one of the victories Lewis is most proud of. His demolition of Bowe aside, he feels his quarter-final victory over East Germany's Ulli Kaden was the key match.
"He was actually the world champion at that time and he beat me one time at the world championships, so boxing him, he was like six foot seven, and really he was my first fight," said Lewis. "What made me win was the fact that it was my second Olympics, I had to win. So I just went after him.
"That was pivotal because I knocked him out quick."
While he laments the scoring system used in Olympic boxing these days - "I think it's ridiculous because a man can move his hands and really not hit his opponent," he said - Lewis still believes it's a great route for young boxers to take.
Just one Canadian has qualified for the Beijing Games, welterweight Adam Trupish of Windsor, Ont., however, and Lewis hopes his induction to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inspires others to achieve what he did.
"It means a lot to me because I'm able to show Canadian boxers can really make it far, it's not down to European fighters and American fighters," he said. "If you really want to be a heavyweight or champion at any weight class, I did it so you should be able to do it as well."
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