DURING the streak, John Henry Lewis was one of the world’s leading light-heavyweight champions. He managed the team in the mid-1930s in the same way that Bob Foster did in the early 1970s.
Like Foster, he regularly defended his title and like Foster, he came up short during his rise to the world heavyweight title. Joe Frazier paid for Bob’s account in a two-round knockout and, as we shall see, Lewis had the misfortune of facing the great Joe Louis, who knocked him out in a round.
Lewis grew up in Arizona and like many other black fighters of the time, he had to learn his trade the hard way, spending a lot of time in small halls in and around Phoenix. One of these smaller halls was named after the most famous boxing venue, Madison Square Garden.
It would take Lewis five years and nearly 50 tournaments before he entered the real garden, in New York City, and when he did, he dropped points in a 10-rounder to Jimmy Braddock, who was then in the ring. row. The next year, Braddock hit the jackpot, and so did Lewis.
On October 31, 1935, Lewis defeated Bob Olin to win the light-heavyweight world title. He then boxed eight times in three months, playing 10 rounds that won the title, and he lost two. This is how champions made money at the time, especially in the middleweight division. They walk the streets looking for good bags and usually don’t care if they win or lose. Lewis defended his title twice in 1936 and took down British fighters each time.
One week after winning a 10-rounder against Eddie Simms in St Louis, Lewis was back at Madison Square Garden in New York, to face Rochdale’s Jock McAvoy (both men pictured below) for the title. As I mentioned in last June’s article, McAvoy set the boxing world on fire in 1935 when he KO’d Babe Risko in one round in his second American championship, and this title fight was his reward.
The height difference between the two men is clearly visible in the accompanying photo and this was a big factor on the night, when Lewis used his added height and managed to do enough to win several rounds by a narrow margin. . McAvoy was always in the fight, especially in the last few rounds when he knew he had to stop his man, but it wasn’t enough.
Eight months later, Lewis came to the UK to defend Len Harvey. The Cornishman held the British middleweight, light and heavyweight titles in a glittering professional career that began when he was just 12 years old, and by 1936 he was at his peak. He had lost the heavyweight title to Jack Petersen in January 1936 and had been on the mend ever since.
The match with Lewis was at the Empire Pool, Wembley, in front of a full house of 11,800 people. Harvey came in at 12st 4lbs, three pounds under the tournament limit. There was very little concern back in the 1930s for fighters to come in ounces underweight as they do today. The boxer had trained hard and whatever weight he felt best was the one he fought for.
Once again, Lewis was too good for his British opponent. Under the headline ‘Britisher’s Bold and Valiant Bid for the World’s Light-Heavyweight Crown,’ BN reported that Lewis had to struggle before he came out on top.
Lewis played until 1939, when, as the undefeated light-heavyweight champion, he entered Joe Louis for the grand prize. He only lasted a few minutes when the Brown Bomber blasted him with a fatal punch. It was John’s last competition. He retired early with eye problems and died in 1974, aged just 59.
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