Former world boxing champions headline Lennox Lewis camp in Jamaica

Rahman, a two-time world heavyweight champion, and Eubank, one of the best British fighters of all times with world titles at middleweight and super-middleweight, will take part in training sessions and motivational dialogues during the month-long programme.

In an Old Harbour News exclusive, Violet Lewis, co-founder and director of the foundation, said: “So we always have big names just for the record; just that we never advertise it. We always put it out after camp is over. But this year we decided, as this is our 10-year anniversary, to do something differently and particularly because our strategic plan is that we are scaling up for next year for a larger location… So we decided to announce it. 

“So we have Hasim Rahman, known as ‘The Rock’, former two times WBC heavyweight champion. He was here last year and he needs special mention because we had camp right after [Hurricane] Beryl, and nobody was expecting that camp would go on… and he (Hasim Rahman) showed up coming from Las Vegas. 

“We have also invited Chris Eubank Sr… and he has a Jamaican background. We tend to try to bring not just champions that have a connection to Jamaica but more in addition to that it’s their story. Because we need the youth to understand that… they need to first respect themselves, respecting others and what comes with that: respecting your community.”

Established more than a decade ago, the Lennox Lewis League of Champions Foundation Inc. defines itself as a conduit to inspire the next generation of sporting champions – boxing being the primary channel. Shortly after its founding, the conceptualizers embarked on setting up satellite facilities in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and in Jamaica, the latter being the birth place of the parents of Lennox Lewis, undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. Forty children – predominantly at-risk youth – participated at its inaugural summer camp in 2015 staged at the Hopewell High School where they were exposed to the rudiments of boxing and essential life skills to succeed in the real world. Ten years on, the summer programme has evolved significantly and now includes other sports like football, basketball, athletics, and the creative arts.  

Outside of the summer, the foundation engages the community, particularly children in an outreach programme that facilitates home-work studies and continued training and development in the sport of their choice at the Hopewell Sports and Community Center. 

Its expansion has a lot to do with key strategic partnerships aligned with its mission, said Violet Lewis, co-founder and director of the foundation. In acknowledging partners like the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Ocho Rios Wrestling Club and Youth in Action that shares a similar vision but pulls in youth from a wider cross-section from within and outside parish, Lewis added that its positive impact has been immense.  

For each discipline, the camps operate for at least a week. However, though free, participants must register to secure one of the 80 available spots for each camp. 

For this year, the theme is ‘Power Over Your Past’ – a mantra that seeks to inculcate a mindset that isn’t shaped by the environment in which one was born in but rather a focus towards future goals and aspirations. 

“The aim is to ensure that the campers are aware that it doesn’t matter where they start, what they have, but what matter are the choices they made and how much effort they put into what they would like to do as life progresses,” Lewis said, while alluding to the background stories of Rahman and Eubank, both rising to fame and global success from tough upbringing. 

The work of the foundation is the manifestation of a long held ambition for her husband Lennox Lewis, who remains hands-on. “He doesn’t miss a boxing camp, he’s there every year,” she said, crediting her husband’s vision and her own social work expertise for the programme’s success. 

Born in West Ham, London before immigrating to Canada aged 12 with his mother, Lennox Lewis had a distinguished boxing career: first as an amateur, winning Olympic gold in 1986 before going on to become a three-time world boxing champion as a heavyweight fighter. From 44 professional fights ‘The Lion’ tasted defeat only twice, while beating the likes of fellow boxing legends Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko to cement his status as one of greatest of all times. 

In his wife Violet, a Kingstonian born and bred, Lennox has found more than a worthy partner. Her expertise as a highly qualified social worker has set the foundation on solid footing. Starting next year, the camp will be opened to overseas visitors, with a registration fee attached for their participation. “So while we’ll still remain free for use in the community, you can fly in… and this is how we are sustaining our model,” said the Swallowfield native and The Queens High School alumnus. 

The programme is far from the typical summer camp, Mrs Lewis noted. Special emphasis, led by a team of expert of coaches and professional counsellors, is placed on developing the social skills of each participant and is seen as very essential to address the social degradation self-evident in today’s society. The foundation’s co-founder says it is a strategy that is bearing results already. “So by the end of it [the camp] you will see significant difference immediately in the children’s behaviour. How you publicly speak, how you responding so we could note all of the points from each camp to make sure we see active behavioural change,” she said, noting that many of the participants of past camps are now adults who have turned out to be excellent role models in their community.