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On This Day In Boxing History!

1970: Ted “Kid” Lewis, 75, Passes!

Ted "Kid" Lewis born Gershon Mendeloff, October 28th 1893 was an English boxer who won the world welterweight (147 lb) championship.

Lewis was born in a gas-lit tenement in the Aldgate Pump section of London’s East End as Gershon Mendeloff. One of his brothers became a boxer under the name of Lou (Kid) Lewis.

 

It was as a member of London’s Judean Athletic Club that Mendeloff assumed the name “Kid” Lewis ("Ted" was added later, in America). At 14 he fought for sixpence and a cup of tea. He later won the Club’s flyweight title, and took home a cup of imitation silver.

 

He became a professional boxer in 1909. On 6 October 1913, Lewis won the British featherweight crown with a 17th round knockout of Alec Lambert at London’s National Sporting Club. A year later, on 2 February 1914, at London’s Premierland, he won the European featherweight title from Paul Til via a 12th round foul.

 

Still in 1914, campaigning as a lightweight and welterweight, Lewis left London and toured Australia. In 1915 Lewis traveled to the United States, fighting Phil Bloom in New York’s Madison Square Garden. He won a decision.

 

In Boston’s Armory, on August 31st of that same year, he fought the man known as the “Boxing Marvel," Jack Britton, for the welterweight crown. Lewis won in a twelve-round decision, becoming welterweight world champion and beginning an historic rivalry. From 1915 to 1921 Lewis and Britton fought 20 times, a total of 224 rounds.

 

On 24 April 1916, in New Orleans, Lewis lost the title to Britton. He reclaimed it on 25 June 1917, at Westwood Field, Dayton, Ohio. He lost the title for the last time on 17 March 1919, in Canton, Ohio, when Britton knocked him out in the 9th round — the only knockout of the series.

 

The roundup of his matches with Britton: Lewis won 3, lost 4, and had 1 draw. There were 12 no decisions. After his last loss to Britton, Lewis returned to England.

 

On 9 June 1920, at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, he beat Johnny Basham to win the British and European welterweight titles. He relinquished these in December of that year due to difficulty in making the weight.

 

His drive to fight Georges Carpentier, world and European Light Heavyweight champion, came to fruition on 11 May 1922, in the Olympia. With Lewis fighting at 150 pounds to Carpentier’s 175, both men spent most of the first round holding and hitting on the break. Legend has it that Lewis was giving the heavier man a drubbing, then referee Joe Palmer put a hand on Lewis’s shoulder to warn him against holding, whereupon Carpentier took advantage of this distraction and sneaked in a vicious right which knocked the Kid out. It simply isn't true. There was no drubbing - and film of the fight clearly shows the referee standing back, seconds after stepping in. AS the boxers break out of a clinch, it's Lewis who throws a left hand - then drops his guard as Carpentier lands that huge right hand. Lewis was allegedly quoted as saying “I felt cheated, but I didn’t bear any grudge” - but it's just part of the myth. Carpentier was heavier, stronger, and a harder hitter. He won fair and square. As seen on film.

 

On 6 June 1922, at Holland Park Rink, London, Lewis knocked out Frankie Burns to win the British middleweight title. On 11 November the same year, also at Holland Park Rink, he beat Roland Todd to win the European middleweight title. He did not hold either title long, losing both at the Royal Albert Hall on 15 February 1923, after a grueling rematch with Todd.

 

Lewis won his last two titles, the British and European welterweight crowns, on 3 July 1924 — again at London’s Royal Albert Hall — by defeating Hamilton Johnny Brown. Two years later, on 26 November 1924, at Waverley Market Hall in Edinburgh, he lost these championships to the much younger Scotsman, Tommy Milligan.

 

He continued boxing until 1929, adding 20 more fights. His final record was: 279 bouts, 170 won, 30 lost, 13 draws, 66 no decisions, 70 knockouts.

 

Lewis started his career as an evasive boxer, with a long left. During the six years he spent in America he changed his style, becoming a swarming, combination boxer-fighter.

 

He was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1964.

 

Lewis, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.

 

Lewis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

 

He would later act as a bodyguard and local election candidate for Oswald Mosley's New Party. However, Lewis fell out with Mosley when his subsequent political movement, the British Union of Fascists became openly anti-Semitic.

Bert Randolph Sugar, in his authoritative book, The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time, ranked Lewis # 33, ahead of such fighters as “Gentleman Jim” Corbett, Jake LaMotta, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Georges Carpentier.

 

October 20th

1901: George Dixon D20 Abe Attell

1914: Sam Langford KO3 Gunboat Smith

1931: Maxie Rosenbloom KO7 Dick Daniels

1939: Henry Armstrong KO3 Ritchie Fontaine

1942: Chalky Wright TKO8 Henry Vasquez

1947: Rinty Monaghan W15 Dado Marino

1954: Johnny Saxton W15 Kid Gavilan

1955: Aaron Pryor is born in Cincinnati, Ohio

1962: Dennis Moyer W15 Joey Giambra

1970: Ted “Kid” Lewis age 75 passes

1979: John Tate W15 Gerrie Coetzee

1982: Leroy Haley W15 Juan Jose Giminez

1990: Sung Kil Moon W12 Kenji Matsumura

1992: Yuri Arbachakov W12 Yun Un Chin

2000: Mike Tyson KO3 Andrew Golota. Subsequently when Mike tests positive for marijuana the result is changed to a no-contest.

Zab Judah TKO8 Hector Quiroz

2001: Ricky Burns age 19 debuts W4 Woody Greenaway

2007: Felix Sturm D12 Randy Griffin

Cristian Mijares KO1 Franck Gorjux

2012: Danny Garcia KO4 Erik Morales   

Peter Quillin W12 Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam                     

Devon Alexander W12 Randall Bailey    

Paul Malignaggi WSD12 Pablo Cesar Cano

Kell Brook TKO3 Hector David Saldivia

Kenny Anderson TKO5 Robin Reid         

Jamie McDonnell RTD8 Darwin Zamora

Omar Andres Narvaez KO11 Johnny Garcia

Enis Pacheco DSD10 Ana Laura Esteche

Elina Tissen W10 Jane Kavulani

Panya Uthok TKO9 AJ Banal

Rey Bautista WSD12 Jose Daniel Ruiz

Lisa Noel Garland W10 Kerri Hill

Catherine Phiri W10 Nathalie Forget

2018: Rob Brant W12 Ryota Murata      

Katie Taylor W10 Cindy Serrano

Tevin Farmer TKO5 James Tennyson    

Demetrius Andrade W12 Walter Kautondokwa

Eva Voraberger W10 Luna del Mar Torroba

Mohamed Mimoune W12 Franck Petitjean

Emmanuel Rodriguez WSD12 Jason Moloney

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