Lewis, Lennox (Lennox Claudis Lewis), 1965–, British-Canadian boxer. Born in London, England, to Jamaican parents, Lewis had a troubled childhood and followed his mother to Canada at the age of 12. Taking up boxing, he became World Junior Champion at 17 and represented (1984, 1988) Canada in Olympics, winning the heavyweight gold against Riddick Bowe in 1988. Moving back to England, he turned professional and was awarded the World Boxing Council (WBC) title in 1993 after Bowe, the titleholder, refused to defend it. Lewis lost the WBC title in 1994 but regained three years later, and in Nov., 1999, unified the heavyweight titles by defeating Evander Holyfield (they had fought to a controversial draw in March). Although Lewis lost his titles to Hasim Rahman in Apr., 2001, a November rematch restored Lewis as champion. He successfully defended against Mike Tyson in 2002, and was generally regarded as the world heavyweight champion until he retired in 2004.
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