John Henry Lewis (May 1, 1914 – April 18, 1974) was a hall of fame American boxer who held the World Light Heavyweight Boxing Title from 1935 to 1938.

Lewis began his professional career in 1928, beating Buster Grant by a four-round decision in Phoenix, where he fought his first fourteen bouts.

[1] Lewis faced future World Heavyweight champion, James J. Braddock on September 21, 1932, defeating him in a ten-round points decision at Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

[5] Taking a break from his high school studies, Lewis won a ten-round decision over Lou Scozza, a veteran Light Heavyweight contender, on October 26, 1932, in San Francisco.

On September 20 of that year, he made an unsuccessful attempt at the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight title in Portland, Oregon, but drew with Young Firpo in ten rounds.

[1][10] In the seventh, Firpo used his unorthodox punches to pull ahead, and in the eighth and ninth, he used aggressive rights and lefts to Lewis's body and chin.

Two lefts and a stiff right to the head gained Lewis a slight lead, but Firpo recovered, and the brisk fighting looked even at the final bell.

[11] Light Heavyweight contender Yale Okun became Lewis's third-round technical knockout victim in Madison Square Garden on November 23, 1934.

[16][17] Lewis took the World Light Heavyweight Title from Bob Olin on October 31, 1935, in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at the Arena in St. Louis.

Olin's trainer, Ray Arcel, later wrote that his boxer lost the nerve to fight Lewis and had to be encouraged to change his mind up to the day of the match.

Both boxers punched with precision and skill, until the thirteenth when Lewis, struggling for a knockout, inadvertently struck Olin after the bell sounded.

[18][19][20] In his next fight on November 29, 1935, Lewis lost to Maxie Rosenbloom in a close, dull, 10-round non-title decision at Dreamland Auditorium in San Francisco.

Rosenbloom's cautious strategy of striking a blow and then clinching bored many ringside, but demonstrated experience as he adjusted for the talent of his younger opponent.

Facing "Tiger" Fox, leading contender for his World Light Heavyweight Title, at the Armory in Spokane, Washington on January 10, 1936, Lewis gained a third-round knockout in a non-title bout.

[25] On March 6, 1936, Lewis defeated southpaw Eddie Simms in a thrilling ten-round points decision at Municipal Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the close bout, Simms appeared to be the aggressor, which caused some in the crowd of 10,840 to dispute the final ruling, but Lewis waged an exceptional defense and scored with counter punches that were clean and decisive.

With a two-inch height and reach advantage, Lewis landed more punches and had no trouble with the crouch position of McAvoy, looping blows to his head with frequency.

Before a tiny crowd of 2,988, Lewis batted Godwin to the mat with a stunning right cross, and after he rose unleashed a flurry of blows that forced the referee to call the fight.

[29] Before a sizable crowd of 10,000, Lewis won a non-title ten-round decision against George Nichols, former Light Heavyweight Champion, at Municipal Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri on August 12, 1936.

[1][30][31] Red Burman, a future World Heavyweight contender, became Lewis's knockout victim 2:20 in the second round, at Chicago Stadium on October 2, 1936.

[34][35] On February 8, 1937, Lewis defeated Al Ettore at Convention Hall in Philadelphia in a savage fifteen-round split decision before a crowd of 13,000.

In a remarkable show of determination, he came back to take the fourth by a wide margin, staggering Lewis at one point, and waging battle all over the ring.

[38][39] Previously on January 4, 1937, Lewis had officially lost to Ettore at Convention Hall in a ten-round decision that was later changed to a very controversial draw by the Pennsylvania Boxing Commission.

[41] Lewis won over heavyweight Willie Reddish at Griffith Stadium in Washington DC in a ten-round unanimous decision on June 29, 1937.

[46] Elmer Ray was stopped by Lewis at Ponce de Leon Ball Park in Atlanta, Georgia in the twelfth round of a scheduled fifteen on May 19, 1938.

[1][47][48][49] On July 28, 1938, the New York State Athletic Commission stripped Lewis of his title for failing to accept the challenge filed by "Tiger" Jack Fox.

In the tenth, Lewis was quickly stunned by a solid left hook to the body and retreated, but used his experience and well-timed clinches to hang on.

Dodging several of Adamick's best blows, Lewis gained confidence and lashed out with stiff rights to the face before the final bell ended the match.

The blindness in his left eye and impaired vision in his right was of primary concern and he subsequently announced his retirement aged twenty-five years old.

On an episode of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, DNA analysis proved that Christy Lewis was actor and musician LL Cool J's maternal grandfather who gave up his daughter for adoption.