Boxing: Referee stokes fire in Lewis

LENNOX LEWIS has neither forgotten nor forgiven

Saturday's big-fight referee, Larry O'Connell.
By Bob Mee

12:00AM BST 12 Jul 2000

LENNOX LEWIS has neither forgotten nor forgiven Saturday's big-fight referee, Larry
O'Connell.

"He's a lousy judge - a terrible judge," said the 34-year-old world heavyweight champion. "I
don't have anything against him but I think he needs glasses."

O'Connell scored Lewis's first fight with Evander Holyfield in New York in March last year
level, which ensured a draw after South African official Stan Christodoulou had voted for
Lewis and the American, Eugenia Williams, had scored so controversially for Holyfield.

Williams was the subject of official investigations in the United States and O'Connell was
pilloried on his return to Britain. The initial fury of the Lewis team abated and he shook
hands with manager Frank Maloney at a Panix Promotions show a few weeks later.

When he was appointed to referee the Lewis homecoming against Frans Botha at the London
Arena on Saturday, Panix played it down and welcomed the appointment. Lewis, however,
shares neither the enthusiasm, nor the diplomacy, of his backroom men.

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"I think his judgment is poor," Lewis said, in a Sky Sports interview to be broadcast on their
Big Fight Countdown programme tonight. "But he's got a second chance. The whole world is
going to be watching. He can't mess up too much."

Lewis, meanwhile, has the support of four of his previous victims for his fight with Botha. Al
Malcolm, Joe Egan, Andrew Gerrard and Steve Garber all met the media yesterday to add
their own rueful reflections to the Lewis story.

Garber made the mistake of eye-balling the future champion in Hull in 1989. He lasted 90
seconds. "He beat me up," said the 6ft 6in Yorkshireman. Borrowing an old line from
Muhammad Ali, he said: "He hit me so hard I could hear my ancestors in Africa."

Egan, a Birmingham publican, lost on points to Lewis as an amateur in a New York-Canada

match, Malcolm, who runs the Touch of Class gym in Birmingham, was knocked out in the
second round in Lewis's professional debut in 1989, and Gerrard, from Wales, was stopped in
four.

The appearance of Lewis and Botha at workouts suggests both men are in shape. With the
champion, that was never likely to be in serious doubt as he allowed himself only a short
break following his two-round win over Michael Grant in New York in April before returning
to his Pennsylvania training camp.

Botha, however, has carried excess poundage in the past and his habit of wearing loose-fitting
shirts fuelled speculation that he was once again not as honed as he might be. A gym workout
in Hackney laid those fears to rest, however.

Lewis plainly respects his South African-born, California-domiciled opponent. Whereas he

was extremely confident that he could knock out Grant fairly quickly, he seems to believe
Botha has the ability to make him think and work for his win. "He has fast hands and is a
good counter-puncher," said Lewis, who will be presented with the World Boxing Council's
Champion of the Year award after Saturday's fight.

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