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26 years ago

Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande

Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande

Date: 12th July 1997

Venue: Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, USA

Title: WBC World Heavyweight Title

Promoter: Main Events

Tv: HBO

Lennox Lewis
( 30 - 1 - 0 )
Weight: 242 lbs

Henry Akinwande
( 32 - 0 - 1 )
Weight: 237 1/2 lbs


The Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande fight that took place on Saturday, July 12, 1997, at Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada was an eventful night in the world of boxing. The fight was promoted by Main Events and aired on HBO Sports, with the title at stake being the WBC World Heavyweight Title. The crowd in attendance at the Caesars Tahoe ballroom numbered around 2,000, and they were treated to a bout that would end in a controversial disqualification.

Henry Akinwande, a former WBO heavyweight champion, entered the fight as the WBC's No. 1 contender. He vacated the WBO belt to challenge Lennox Lewis for the WBC title. The fight promised to be an exciting one, with both fighters boasting impressive records. Lennox Lewis had 31 wins and only one loss going into the fight, while Akinwande was unbeaten with 32 wins with only one draw.

The first few rounds of the fight saw Akinwande excessively holding and grappling with Lewis, causing the referee to warn him several times. In the second round, the referee even deducted a point from Akinwande due to his excessive holding. However, Akinwande persisted with his tactics and even managed to buckle Lewis's legs in the third round with a right hand to the head.

Despite Akinwande's success in the third round, the excessive holding continued, and the referee had no choice but to disqualify him in the fifth round. The disqualification caused controversy, with some people arguing that the referee was too harsh, while others believed that Akinwande was guilty of excessive holding.

In terms of the actual fight statistics, Lennox Lewis landed 87 of 174 punches, while Henry Akinwande connected on only 30 of 107 punches. These statistics highlight the dominance of Lewis in the fight and show that Akinwande's excessive holding may have been a result of his inability to deal with Lewis's superior boxing skills.


Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande on YouTube


Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande



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