Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has split with long-time manager Frank Maloney. Lewis, who is currently in training for his re-match with Hasim Rahman on 17 November, said that a contractual dispute with Maloney had not been resolved, and the split was inevitable.
"Last week I asked Jerome Anderson, a member of my business management team, to persuade Frank Maloney to sign a new consultancy arrangement that had been sent to him back in the summer. Frank's request for a ridiculously high amount of money meant that the only option was for our association to end," said Lewis.
Maloney was an unfamiliar figure on the boxing management scene when he secured the signature of Lewis after his 1988 Olympic super-heavyweight success, but the pair quickly found success. Lewis' loyalty to Maloney brought frequent problems as Don King continued to exercise a strong influence over the heavyweight division. Indeed, King once blasted Maloney as "a mental midget" and a "pugilistic pygmy".
Lewis eventually began to insist on more personal control over his affairs, and the Canadian-born boxer's acrimonious split from Maloney's long-time Panix Promotions partner Panos Eliades last year signalled the beginning of the end. Lewis insists that he has parted on much better terms with Maloney than he had with Eliades, with whom he is still engaged in a lengthy court battle.
"I think in one sense Frank knows my career is coming to a close and he needs to continue his career. Being a manager and a promoter is a long life and he wants to connect himself to those people that can further his career," said Lewis. "These are the choices he has made. I am disappointed but these things happen in life. Me and Frank will always be friends."
Filed by Greg McKevitt
