Alvin Lewis (boxer) facts for kids

Alvin Lewis, also known as Al Lewis, was an American professional boxer. He was born on November 12, 1942, and passed away on January 31, 2018. He was a heavyweight boxer, often called "Al "Blue" Lewis".

Lewis was famous for being a long-time sparring partner for the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Sparring partners help boxers practice and get ready for real fights. He was known as a very strong opponent in the gym. He also sparred with other famous boxers like George Foreman. This happened before Foreman's big fight with Ken Norton.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Al Lewis was born in Detroit, Michigan. After a challenging start to his life, he decided to become a professional boxer. His first professional fight was in June 1966 in Canton, Ohio. In this very first match, Lewis faced a boxer named "Clown Prince" Art Miller. Al Lewis won the fight quickly with a knockout in the first round!

Other Important Fights

After his strong start, Lewis won 15 more fights. His first loss came in 1967 against Bob Stallings. However, Lewis got his revenge a year later, winning their rematch by knockout. He also fought Leotis Martin twice. He lost both of those fights. Lewis also won against Dick Wipperman in 1967.

He fought against an older boxer named Cleveland Williams in 1970 and won. In 1971, he fought Oscar Bonavena. Lewis was disqualified in that fight, even after knocking Oscar down several times. In 1973, he lost a points decision to Jack O'Halloran.

The Big Fight Against Muhammad Ali

Al Lewis is most remembered for his fight against Muhammad Ali. This was not a championship fight. It took place in Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, on July 19, 1972. Lewis lost the fight in the 11th round when the referee stopped it.

Ali was a much more skilled boxer. Lewis was knocked down in the 5th round, and it looked like the fight might end. But he kept going! He even surprised everyone by attacking Ali when it was least expected. This famous fight is shown in a movie called When Ali Came to Ireland.

His Retirement from Boxing

Al Lewis fought his last professional match in November 1973. His boxing career ended suddenly. A magazine called Ring reported what happened. Lewis was helping a priest fix a broken-down car. The car battery sparked, and acid splashed into one of his eyes. This injury was serious. Because of it, his boxing license was taken away. This meant he could no longer fight professionally.

His final boxing record was 30 wins (with 19 knockouts) and 6 losses.

Later Life and Passing

Al Lewis passed away in Flint, Michigan, on January 31, 2018. He was 75 years old. His death was not widely reported at the time.

Professional boxing record

31 Wins (20 knockouts, 11 decisions), 5 Losses (2 knockouts, 2 decisions, 1 DQ)
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	4-15	JD McCauley	KO	2	November 14, 1973	Dayton, Ohio
Win	18-5	Jimmy Cross	KO	6	September 4, 1973	Oklahoma City
Win	29-2	Humphrey McBride	TKO	3	July 19, 1973	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Referee stopped the bout at 1:45 of the third round.
Loss	29-15-2	Jack O'Halloran	PTS	10	March 1, 1973	Detroit, Michigan
Win	7-7-1	Charlie Reno	PTS	10	January 22, 1973	Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan
Loss	37-1	Muhammad Ali	TKO	11	July 19, 1972	Croke Park, Dublin	Referee stopped the bout at 1:15 of the 11th round.
Loss	46-7-1	Oscar Bonavena	DQ	7	October 4, 1971	Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires
Win	7-3-2	Bob Mashburn	TKO	5	May 7, 1971	Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan
Win	74-10-1	Cleveland Williams	TKO	4	October 21, 1970	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	10-6-3	Billy Joiner	UD	10	July 15, 1970	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win	4-5-2	Edmund Stewart	TKO	7	June 29, 1970	Detroit, Michigan
Win	8-4-1	Charles "Hercules" Williams	TKO	6	February 27, 1970	Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan
Win	25-21-2	Bill McMurray	PTS	10	November 19, 1969	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio	50-37, 49-40, 48-41.
Win	10-4-1	Willie McMillan	PTS	10	April 14, 1969	Palisades Rink, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Loss	27-5	Leotis Martin	SD	10	February 26, 1969	Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan
Loss	26-5	Leotis Martin	TKO	9	November 26, 1968	Detroit, Michigan	Referee stopped the bout at 1:33 of the ninth round.
Win	13-17	Bob Stallings	TKO	2	September 21, 1968	Detroit, Michigan
Win	25-2-5	Hector Eduardo Corletti	KO	2	July 24, 1968	Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan
Win	27-10-1	Johnny Featherman	KO	2	May 29, 1968	Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Win	13-15	Bob Stallings	UD	10	May 8, 1968	Palisades Rink, McKeesport, Pennsylvania	48-43, 50-43, 49-42.
Win	8-17-3	Dave Russell	TKO	7	April 3, 1968	Palisades Rink, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Win	12-11	Bob Stallings	TKO	7	December 12, 1967	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York
Win	32-10-1	Dick Wipperman	UD	10	October 17, 1967	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York	8-2, 8-1, 6-3.
Win	11-6-1	Toro Smith	KO	3	September 25, 1967	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	9-1	Willie McMillan	PTS	8	August 24, 1967	Detroit, Michigan
Win	11-1-1	Aaron Eastling	KO	5	June 5, 1967	Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Eastling knocked out at 1:16 of the fifth round.
Win	4-3	Earl Averette	PTS	6	May 12, 1967	Detroit, Michigan
Win	5-6	Buddy Moore	PTS	6	January 25, 1967	Palisades Rink, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Win	7-7	Mert Brownfield	PTS	6	December 14, 1966	Palisades Rink, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Win	7-6	Mert Brownfield	PTS	4	November 14, 1966	Akron, Ohio
Win	8-3	Mac Harrison	KO	3	October 26, 1966	Akron Armory, Akron, Ohio
Win	6-13-2	Larry McGee	KO	2	September 13, 1966	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	4-5	Vic Brown	TKO	1	August 29, 1966	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	0-2	John Hall	TKO	1	August 5, 1966	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Win	0-7	Gene Hunt	TKO	2	July 11, 1966	Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan
Win	7-10-1	Art Miller	KO	1	June 21, 1966	Canton, Ohio