Adey Lewis

Career

Born in Bury, Lewis fought out of the Bury American Broadcasting Company as an amateur and was runner-up in the American Bar Association Junior Class-B bantamweight championship against Spencer Oliver. He began his professional career in 1994. Standing 4 ft 10in tall and weighing 8 stones, Lewis was the smallest British professional boxer at the time.

In November 1997 Lewis challenged for David Guerault"s EBU European flyweight title in Manchester.

Guerault stopped Lewis in the fourth round, inflicting Lewis"s first defeat as a professional. Lewis subsequently moved up to bantamweight, and in June 1999 fought Noel Wilders in a final eliminator for the British title, losing after being stopped in the sixth round.

In February 2001 he challenged Nicky Booth for both titles but was stopped in the seventh round. Lewis"s final fight was against Jose Sanjuanelo in October 2001 for the International Boxing Organization World bantamweight title, losing after being stopped in the second round.

Lewis went on to run the Dynamics gymn in Radcliffe.

Achievements

• After winning his first ten fights he took his first title when he beat Louis Veitch on points in December 1996 to become BBBofC Central Area flyweight champion. In his second defence in September 1997, Peter Culshaw"s Commonwealth title was also at stake. Lewis stopped Culshaw in the eighth round to retain his British title and become commonwealth champion. In April 2000 he faced Francis Ampofo for the vacant British and commonwealth titles at the York Hall, taking a unanimous points decision to win both titles.

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In January 1997 he beat Keith Knox to take the vacant British flyweight title, defending it successfully four months later against Mark Reynolds. He defended both titles in September 2000, but lost to Tommy Waite after a cut forced the fight to be stopped.