Boxing: Eliades: Management team to blame for Lewis' demise

Lennox Lewis’ former promoter Panos Eliades today laid the blame for the fighter’s shock defeat to Hasim Rahman squarely at the door of his new management team.

Eliades, booted out by Lewis after his last world heavyweight title defence against David Tua in November, blasted: ‘‘The new team feel they can do a better job than me and the proof is in the pudding that they are really amateurs who have destroyed Lennox Lewis.’’

Eliades, currently preparing a court challenge to Lewis over the terms of their acrimonious split, insisted he was saddened by the nature of the disintegration of their partnership, which began in 1992.

He subscribed to the popular theory that Lewis had come in complacent and overweight for his title defence in Johannesburg.

And he warned that Lewis faces a long, hard road back to reclaiming his titles despite a rematch clause which was inserted in his contract before Sunday morning’s shocking defeat.

‘‘Whoever says he’s got an immediate rematch, it can’t possibly be because it’s illegal to have an immediate rematch,’’ Eliades added.

Meanwhile Olympic super-heavyweight gold medallist Audley Harrison believes Lewis will bounce back and reclaim his undisputed crown.

Harrison, preparing for his professional debut on May 19, said: ‘‘Lennox got caught by a big punch which is what makes our sport so exciting.

‘‘The only certainty is that nothing is certain, but I’m more than sure that Lennox Lewis will be back and he will become heavyweight champion of the world for the third time.’’