associated press
ABOVE PHOTO: Colorful boxing promoter Butch Lewis poses with boxing champ Joe Frazier (l) and his son Marvis (r) wearing his trademark “Chocolate Tuxedo.” Lewis died on Friday, July 22, 2011.
Photo by Webster Riddick
Butch Lewis, the colorful boxing promoter who worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Michael and Leon Spinks, has died. He was 65.
Funeral home owner Sammy Congo of Congo Funeral Home in Wilmington, Del., says he received notification of Lewis’ death on Saturday morning and was expected to meet family members last Sunday.
He did not have information about how Lewis died.
Lewis was best known in the ring for sporting tuxedos with no shirt and being involved in some of the sport’s biggest fights. He promoted the Michael Spinks-Mike Tyson fight in 1988 that ended with a first round knock of Spinks, who earned more than $13 million for the fight.
He began his career in boxing in the 1970s, but later branched into music and entertainment.
Before the Zab Judah-Amir Khan fight in Las Vegas on Saturday, Lewis was honored by ring announcer Michael Buffer and given a 10-bell count.
Leave a Comment