They scoffed at Lewis' claims to be the first British champion this century. Lewis was born in London in 1965 but had won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul while representing Canada, where he had been taken to live at the age of nine. Lewis successfully defended his title three times - on points against Tony Tucker, in round seven against Frank Bruno, and in round eight against Phil Jackson. But his world was shattered in September 1994, when he was knocked out in round two by unknown Oliver McCall at Wembley. Steadfastly refusing to side with American promoter Don King, Lewis was frozen out of the championship picture for three years until the WBC matched him with McCall again in February 1997. Lewis claimed the title in extraordinary fashion for the second time, when McCall burst into tears and refused to fight, the bout stopped in round five. In Lewis' first defence in July, Henry Akinwande was disqualified in the same round for persistent holding.

Lewis finally made his mark in October of the same year, when he blitzed the much-fancied Pole Andrew Golota in the second round in Atlantic City. He stopped Shannon Briggs in the fifth round of a war in March 1998, then laboured to a points win over Croat Zeljko Mavrovic six months later as he waited for his first undisputed title clash with Evander Holyfield. The controversy which has dogged Lewis' career struck again in New York in March when, after appearing to have clinched victory on points, he was denied by a majority draw verdict Lewis made no mistake second time around.. America's Junior Jones has emerged as candidate for Prince Naseem Hamed's next featherweight title defence.

America's Junior Jones has emerged as candidate for Prince Naseem Hamed's next featherweight title defence. Jones, a former WBO super-bantamweight champion, outpointed Tracey Harris Patterson last night to strengthen his claims for a date with the Prince in March or April. It is a fight which is interesting Lou DiBella, the senior vice-president of cable network Home Box Office, who is beginning to plan for Hamed's next assignment. Ideally, DiBella would like to pit Hamed with either super-bantam champion Erik Morales (WBC) or Marco Antonio Barrera (WBO) - twice a Jones victim - but negotiations are proving difficult and Jones would be ready-made, good class opposition. Hamed-Jones should have happened in 1998, but the contract had to be torn up when Jones was beaten by Kennedy McKinney on the same night the Prince made his American debut against Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden. For the moment, Hamed and HBO are reflecting on the awful wrestling match with WBC champion Cesar Soto in Detroit last month. But DiBella still rates Hamed as the best nine-stoner in the world by some distance. DiBella said: "Naz knows that next time he has to put on as much of a show in the ring as he does on the way to the ring. "He knows what he has to do, and I'm comforted by the fact he has said to me personally I want the biggest fights. "But right now, Morales' promoter Bob Arum doesn't want to talk, and I'm in conversations with Frank Warren about Barrera. He is asking for a lot of money, but we'll continue to talk. "Jones has beaten Tom Johnson and Patterson back-to-back And a Jones-Jamed fight is a great match-up. I'm confident Naz will come back in March or April against a very high quality opponent and I think he know what he has to do this time. "It takes a whole lot of class for a fighter to apologise for a performance, especially when he's unified a title and I was pleased with him (Hamed) for doing that. "It re-forced my view that he's a good kid and a good fighter. For all the criticism he gets, some of which may be deserved, he is still the best featherweight in the world and I don't think anyone's a close second." Former WBC champion Luisito Espinosa is another opponent being mentioned for Hamed, but Di Bella adds: "Espinosa is an old fighter, he lost to Soto. And I feel that Espinosa against Hamed might be as unpleasing a match style-wise as Soto-Hamed." Hamed has until the end of the month to decide which of his titles he keeps, the WBO or the newly-won WBC. World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman recently extended the decision deadline to November 30. Unfortunately, the politics of the alphabet men will not allow Hamed to retain both belts. HBO, for their part, are not concerned either way. And titles are not necessarily their priority, as long as they screen good, appealing fights. European heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko, brother of WBO holder Vitaly, made a successful American television debut by stopping Phil Jackson, a loser to Lennox Lewis in 1994, in the second round on Friday. The German-based Ukranian, who won the 1996 Olympic gold medal, used a four-punch combination to complete the job after keeping the shorter Jackson on the end of his jab in the opening round. The brothers Klitschko are big in Germany and are threatening to become major players on the heavyweight scene.. 1965: Born Lennox Claudius Lewis, September 2, London.

1965: Born Lennox Claudius Lewis, September 2, London. 1974: Aged nine, taken to Kitchener in Ontario, Canada. 1978: Aged 13, started boxing at Kitchener Police Club. 1982: Aged 17, spars with a boy called Mike Tyson. 1984: Represents Canada in Los Angeles Olympic Games. 1986: Wins Commonwealth Games super-heavyweight gold medal in Edinburgh. 1988: At Olympic Games in Seoul, captures gold medal, beating American Riddick Bowe in final. Returns to London to become a professional. 1989: Professional debut at Albert Hall Knocks out Al Malcolm in second round. Five more wins follow in three different countries. 1991: Beats Gary Mason at Wembley for British and European heavyweight titles. 1992: In December, becomes WBC world heavyweight champion after Bowe throws his belt in a bin. 1993: Triumphs over Frank Bruno in Cardiff when referee stops fight in seventh round. 1994: Loses title to Oliver McCall in second round at Wembley. 1997: In February, regains title in extraordinary circumstances after fight against McCall is stopped in fifth round when his opponent appears to lose interest in the bout. In July, is involved in another bizarre bout as fellow Briton Henry Akinwande is disqualified in fifth round for repeated holding despite several warnings and points deduction by referee Mills Lane Retains WBC title.

In October, produces best performance of his career by stopping Poland's Andrew Golota in first round to retain his title in Atlantic City. 1998: After signing a £33million deal to meet WBA and IBF champion Evander Holyfield, the unification fight in Las Vegas ends in a controversial draw on April 25. Lewis claims he was robbed. 1999: November 13: Lewis wins unanimous points decision in Las Vegas, to become the undisputed heavyweight king of the world.. The rebranding of this weekend's meeting at Cheltenham has wrought undoubted changes. The sponsoring parent company remains the same (Whitbread), but out went old-fashioned Mackeson and the fug of t'northern snug and in came trendy Murphy's and three days of determined cheerful Irishness. You would sometimes swear you were travelling steerage on the Titanic, such is the feeling that homespun arm-wrestling and jigging might break out at any moment. The rebranding of this weekend's meeting at Cheltenham has wrought undoubted changes.