The former undisputed heavyweight world champion called it a day in 2003 – but the boxing legend still remains very much involved in the sport he so dearly loves
12:07, 02 Sep 2025Updated 12:30, 02 Sep 2025
Lennox Lewis with a young fighter(Image: League of Champions)
As he turns 60 today, Lennox Lewis remains heavily involved in the sport of boxing as the former heavyweight star has set his sights on shaping the world champions of tomorrow.
The ‘Lennox Lewis League of Champions Foundation’ was founded to ensure children in under-served communities have access to the world of boxing and that it would inspire, empower and create opportunities to “break barriers and limitations so that success can become a reality.”
The foundation’s goal is to nurture young people to strengthen their mind and develop a high level of academic prowess, discipline, self-esteem, and confidence through boxing. It strives to raise funds to build recreational boxing clubs for youth and provide resources to improve communities and impact the lives of under-served children in Jamaica, the UK, Canada, and the United States.
On the foundation, Lewis has said: “I am driven to give young people the same opportunities I had growing up due to the generosity of strangers that helped guide me. I am here today a product of generosity, and this is why it is important for me to give back.”
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While many fighters opt to put their feet up and enjoy life after retirement, Lewis remains very much dedicated to giving back to the community and has used his beloved sport to help him do so. In a bid to keep children out of trouble, the foundation offers a wide range of programmes – not just boxing.
The foundations provides academic support through homework and computer labs – which serves as an aspect of facilitating intellectual growth to “highlight education as the main ingredient to achieving success.” As well as that, warm meals are provided for children who participated in their Knights in the Ring Initiatives – which creates a safe place for children to have fun through physical activities.
Discussing the foundation in an interview with Boxing News back in 2018, Lewis explained: “We run a boxing camp for young kids. Boxing is not the only thing, life skills as well, which we teach. It’s great actually communicating with kids because kids are an open vessel. I say every kid’s not going to be a soccer player, every kid’s not going to be a boxer, there’s some that will excel at boxing, there’s some that we will be able to get to and save in one sense and help.
Lennox Lewis after defeating Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion(Image: Daily Mirror)
“Being around boxing and my foundation this is what we want to do for young kids out there, we want to show that with dedication and hard work you can be anything you want to be. We’re saying we can help you achieve your goals no matter what it is and all you need to do is sacrifice, dedicate, work hard, look at life and deal with people with respect and learn a lot of different life skills.”
Lewis, 60, threw himself into his charity work a few years after calling it a day in 2003. After making his professional debut in 1989, the Brit was quick to climb up the ranks. After becoming a world champion early on in his career, his first loss came at the hands of Oliver McCall in 1994. After picking up the IBC title a year later against Tommy Morrison, Lewis finally got his revenge over McCall in 1997 for the vacant WBC strap.
He then picked up wins over the likes of Henry Akinwande and Shannon Briggs before a major career milestone in 1999 – becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion with a win over Evander Holyfield. Lewis will go down as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and, following his win over Mike Tyson in 2002, Lewis bowed out in style a year later, knocking out Vitali Klitschko in his last outing inside the squared-circle before retiring in 2004.