An Open Letter by Lennox Lewis
06.02.04 - By Lennox Lewis:
I am announcing the end of an important chapter of my life and the beginning of a new one.
June 21, 2003, was my last fight as a professional boxer. When I began boxing at the Kitchener-Waterloo Regional Boxing Association in Kitchener, Ontario, I set out on a mission. What started as a teenagers dream to become heavyweight champion quickly became my lifes passion and career thus far, During the past twenty-three years, I have set a number of goals for myself and Im proud to say that these goals have been achieved. Now I am ready to set new goals and start a new career for myself outside of the ring.
Ive tried to be a good champion and believe that Ive practiced my trade in a manner befitting a sport that I call the sweet science. I experienced some wonderful victories. And I learned that defeat, properly handled, makes a person stronger.
Im proud to have returned the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world to England, a nation with a historic boxing tradition, and to have been the first heavyweight champion from England since Bob Fitzsimmons more than a century ago.
I am particularly pleased to be stepping down while still the reigning lineal heavyweight champion. Only two other men, Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano, have retired as champion and stayed retired. I promise you, I will be the third.
Deciding to end my career as a professional boxer was not an easy decision to make. Ive been offered millions of dollars to fight again, which is all the more tempting because I believe that there are more championship-quality fights in me. In many ways, continuing to fight would be the easiest course of action. That said, I am mindful of what happens to fighters in and out of the ring as they age. I believe that, without being able to devote the same energy, passion, and desire to boxing that I felt from the start, I should not enter the ring again.
Time and experience often give birth to a re-examination of values and a refocusing of perspective. Being champion for as long as I have has allowed me the luxury of learning on the job. One of the first things I learned was that being heavyweight champion is a role that carries with it responsibilities that go far beyond the ring. As a competitor, as a professional, and as a human being, I have tried to do my best to fulfill these responsibilities. Ive tried to treat people with respect. Ive tried to demonstrate the importance of hard work and sacrifice in achieving goals, I have lived by the code that, if a job is worth doing, it should be done properly.
Now, in retiring, I hope to transmit the message, particularly to young people, that the fundamental character traits of integrity, discipline, and respect translate into a reward worth more than any purse.
I am proud that I have the luxury of ending my career on my own terms. This should serve as a real-life example for other boxers and professional athletes. Boxers, like all athletes, must realize how important it is for them to understand every aspect of the business dealings that surround them.
I am excited about the future of boxing. I know Vitali Klitschko is disappointed that we wont be facing each other in the ring again. But the challenge before him now is the same challenge that I faced years ago; to become the best heavyweight of his generation. I look forward to watching Vitali, Corrie Sanders, and other boxers compete for that honour.
This is a time of reflection for me, but also a time of gratitude. A champion is not made in isolation. I owe so much to my Team which has been led for many years by my Mum, Violet Blake. One lesson she taught me is that it is easy to be around when everything is going well, but that true loyalty and love are expressed and revealed during hard times. The lessons I learned from her have served me well over the years and kept me grounded. And my respect for her has continued to grow as Ive matured and come to understand the sacrifices she made to help me.
Im also fortunate to have been surrounded by an amazing group of people; many of whom put their own lives and the lives of their families on hold to help make me a better person and a better boxer through their loyalty, encouragement, and support.
Courtney Shand, my physical conditioner, has been my friend since I was fifteen years old. His total honesty and attention to the smallest details have been invaluable to me.
Prince Osei Poku, Patrick Drayton, Egerton Marcus, Ron Hepburn, Scott DeMercado, Kojo Amoafo, Joe Dunbar, Leigh McGinniss, and Dennis Lewis all members of Team Lewis were voices in my head that made me run a little further, bike a little faster, play chess a little better, and punch a little harder.
Arnie Boehm bought me my first headgear and gloves and, with Jerome Hook McComb, began the task of training me at the Kitchener-Waterloo Regional Boxing Association when I was fifteen years old. Then I earned the right to represent my adoptive country of Canada at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games and was fortunate to have the guidance of Adrian Teodorescu as my coach.
Emanuel Steward did as much for me as any trainer ever did for a boxer. There were times when Manny believed in me more than I believed in myself. It took his insight and clear coaching style to improve on my raw abilities. Im proud that our names will be linked forever.
Harold Knight is the left hand to Mannys right and provided a different perspective that proved invaluable and instrumental in my becoming an even better boxer.
Adrian Ogun, Jerome Andersen and my management company, Sport Entertainment & Media Group, have offered important business guidance. And in addition to the members of Team Lewis whom I have highlighted here, there are many more people, who worked behind the scenes on my behalf and in support of my success.
Like many champions, Ive had my disagreements with the press. But more often than not, members of the media have returned to me the respect that I tried to extend to them. I thank the press for understanding that, while our careers have been linked, Im the one who had to be responsible for, and live with, the decisions I made and that Ive always had a life apart from what I did in the ring. Thank you for supporting me while I became heavyweight champion on my own terms.
Thank you to HBO for supporting me throughout my career.
There are many more people Im indebted to; and I will be thanking you all personally in the days, months, and years ahead. But I want to say thank you now to the people of England, where I was born; to the people of Canada, where I was raised and nurtured, who gave me the honour of representing them in the Olympic Games; to the people of Jamaica, my ancestral home; to the people of the United States, who welcomed me to their shores; and to all of the other fans who wished me well from around the world. In difficult times, I was inspired by their faith in me.
A special thank you to each of the men Ive fought. That includes boxers like Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield, and Mike Tyson, who brought out the best in me in the defining fights of my career. And thank you also to all the other men who entered the ring to exchange blows with me. They are part of my story and their names will go down in history in the record book next to mine.
Thank you to all the people who fight an uphill battle against heavy odds to make professional sports a better fairer business. Too often, athletes are financially exploited by managers and promoters and victimized by the corruption that pervades their sport. Boxing needs more people with a commitment to the highest ethical standards. This is why I have decided to accept a Director position with Sport Entertainment & Media Group, my management company. Having been in the sport for much of my life, I think its important that I share my knowledge with young and experienced athletes.
I am proud to have been recognized as the best heavyweight of my time; a distinction which links me with great boxers like Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, and Larry Holmes. While I may be retiring from the ring, I will do my best to continue to live my life as a champion.
Im still a young man. Many exciting experiences await me. I look forward to seeing all of you in the months and years ahead. It is an honour to have been your heavyweight champion of the world.
Let the new era begin,
Lennox Lewis
Source:
EastSideBoxing
