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Associated Press
London, Nov 15: British newspapers today paid tribute to Lennox Lewis, the first British undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the World in more than 100 years, hailing him as a rare gentleman in the sport.
``It couldn't have happened to a nicer Englishman,'' the Daily Mail said.The Daily Telegraph proposed that 34-year-old Lewis, who earned the title on Saturday night by beating Evander Holyfield, could become a ``rare gentleman ambassador'' for the tainted sport.
``Soft spoken and fond of chess, Lewis... has finally made boxing's summit with none of the hype and bluster for which boxing is so renowned,'' the newspaper said.
The Daily called him a quiet, home-loving role model.
Many newspapers focused on Lewis' close relationship with his mother, Violet, who was first into the ring to congratulate him. ``The hardest man in the world is still a mummy's boy at heart,'' echoed The Star.
But Daily Telegraph columnist Sue Mott considered the home reaction to Lewis' victory lukewarm.
She said thelack of interest is aimed at the sport as a whole. Boxing has been hit recently by a wave of corruption scandals.
``Poor Lennox Lewis... is merely king of a heavyweight derision,'' she wrote.The American press was silent about the champion, as Lewis refused to meet with American reporters yesterday.
``This is only for the British press,'' Lewis' manager, Frank Maloney, said. ``This is a thank you to the British press. It's just something he wants to do.''
Lewis says it doesn't get any better than being the champion. He left the ring with only the WBC and WBA championship belts. The IBF withheld its belt because of a sanctioning fee dispute.
Whatever the outcome, Holyfield put things in perspective. ``It's not so much what I think, it's what reality is,'' he said adding, ``and what reality is, he's the heavyweight champion of the world.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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