LONDON (April 26, 2000 12:38 a.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - World Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis of Britain
is so fed up with boxing's rulers that he is considering abdicating his WBC and
IBF heavyweight titles, he told British daily The Sun Tuesday.
Lewis, whose victory over American Evander Holyfield last November unified
the heavyweight division and made him the undisputed king of world boxing, has
already had his WBA title taken away by the courts after a contract row with promoter Don King.
Now, though, he claims he is so disenchanted at being told by the world
governing bodies whom he can and cannot fight he is contemplating throwing his
titles back into the ring and taking on whoever the boxing public want him to.
Lewis is set to fight unbeaten American Michael Grant in New York on
Saturday in defense of his WBC and IBF titles.
"I have seriously thought about giving up my titles - why should I fight
who the organizations tell me to," Lewis said, "when some decisions are clearly influenced by
fight promoters and managers?
"I might as well give back the belts and just get into the ring with
whoever the public want me to face. They are the people who matter; they pay
the price of a big ticket on a big fight night or phone the TV company to watch on pay-per-view.
"Let the public choose. Their voices should be heard. They want real
fights, not fights that have been engineered."
Lewis is intent on keeping his opponents credible, unlike his former Olympic
rival Riddick Bowe who won the undisputed title and took on fading challengers
in Michael Dokes and Jesse Ferguson. "When they read my legacy, I want people to see something special," said
Lewis. "And Tyson? I don't think he really wants to fight me. Holyfield? I've boxed
him twice and he's still lurking around somewhere, trying to get in there again.
"Tyson just wants to be a movie star. The others are waiting for the big
fight with me but are just not doing enough to build up their names. "I'll be remembered as showing the world that this is an outsider who's
worked his way in, stayed away from bad promoters and bad managers. "There's only one fight of my era left out there for me now - Tyson. Grant is
picking the right opposition now, he's not been sitting around like some of the
other contenders, just waiting for the big pay day. "I want my legacy to show that after becoming undisputed champion of the
World, I wanted to meet the best there is, and that is Michael Grant". Grant escaped in his last fight against Andrew Golota. He was floored twice in
the opening round and was behind on points when he finally overcame the Pole in
the tenth. Lewis blew Golota away inside a round and, not surprisingly, Lewis is feeding
off the comparison. He said: "Experience is important, you saw his (Grant's) inexperience in the
Golota fight. He found it very different to the people he normally faces. "I've been up against different styles all my life. My experience has been
gained over the years, he doesn't have that. "He's been fighting class B opponents - now he's up against A class." Lewis' trainer Emanuel Steward summed up the fight, saying: "I think Grant is
perfect for Lennox. He's got the most credibility with the Americans because
he's active. "He's improved his position because he's been fighting. The others are just
hanging around waiting. "It's still a dangerous fight. Grant's a big guy, he's aggressive and he'll
come out. I know Lennox will be devastating, I know he can win in style. "He's ready for this challenge, and one of the driving forces is that he
feels he's never got the credit he deserves for the last fight against
Holyfield. "I think Grant is going to be better than anyone expects, but I think Lennox
is going to pull a rabbit out of the hat again."
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's world heavyweight boxing
champion Lennox Lewis was quoted Tuesday as saying he wants to
be a film actor when he quits the ring.
The Sun tabloid said 34-year-old Lewis got a taste for films
while helping Hollywood star Denzel Washington prepare for his
Oscar-nominated role as a prize fighter wrongly accused of
murder in the film "The Hurricane."
"I would definitely like to get involved in movies. I have
a strong interest in the film business, both in front of and
behind the scenes," the paper quoted Lewis as saying.
Lewis, the World Boxing Council and International Boxing
Federation heavyweight champion, fights the undefeated Michael
Grant in New York Saturday.
Reuters/Variety
Lennox Lewis sets sights on acting -- newspaper
Monday, April 24, 2000