“Rest in Eternal Peace”: Antonio Tarver, Natasha Jonas, and Boxing World Come Together to Mourn the Demise of Lennox Lewis’ Mother

Lennox Lewis’s mother, Violet Lewis née Blake, passed away on Thursday at 85 and Lewis took to social media to express his grief, “an indescribable type of hurt that has me reeling, yet also has me comforted to know she is now in a better place with no more suffering.”

As opposed to others who saw him as an unruly kid conditioned to get into fights, his mother saw a ‘rebel’ instead. Her guiding presence ensured that he did not get lost in the streets of West Ham, London. This was after a childhood where Lewis saw his father only once. Although there was a time when the young undisputed world boxing heavyweight champion was separated from his mother.

The tale of Violet and Lennox Lewis: An unbreakable bond

Born in Jamaica as one of 12 children to a labourer father and a homemaker mother, Violet Blake lived with her aunt Gee for as long as she could remember. She followed her aunt to London until she rented her own place while working as a nurse’s aid.

She met Lennox’s father, Carlton Brooks, at a party. She fell madly in love with him, unlike her previous affair with Rupert Daries with whom she had her first child, Dennis Stephen. In a 1992 interview with Ken Gorman, she claimed to have liked him “as a brother, but I didn’t love him.” She added, “You think, if you don’t love him at first, if you live together, you may grow to love him. But it never happened like that.”

It turned out that Brooks was already married. However, by that time, Violet was already pregnant with Lennox. “I was madly in love with him, though we never lived together. It turned out that he was married, but I didn’t know [Brooks had a wife and family in Jamaica]. He never told me he was married.”

Reeling from a bad breakup and to start her life anew, Violet sent off Dennis to his father and left the then-four-year-old Lennox at Aunt Gee’s place. She returned a year later because she couldn’t get regular work. Then she moved to Ontario, Canada with Lennox but financial circumstances conditioned her to send him back to England after six months. For five long years, Lennox was away from his mother. Times were hard. She recalled, “I cried every day for those five years,” she told me. “They used to call me ‘weeping willow.’” 

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When Lennox turned 12, mother and son finally reunited. “I knew it was him as soon as I saw him at the airport… He didn’t want people to see me kissing him, but I hugged him and kissed him anyway.”

Soon after their reunion, Lewis joined the Kitchener Police Headquarters boxing gym in Ontario. It kick-started his boxing career, where he met his first coach and father figure, Arnie Boehm who trained him and helped him win the Olympic gold medal in 1988.  This set in motion the chain of events paving his path to boxing greatness and culminated in him becoming the last Heavyweight to reign supreme as the undisputed champion. So, today, despite the saddening news of Violet’s passing, people celebrated the unbreakable bond between a son and his mother. 

Gathering of the stars to bid adieu

Violet Lewis’s life showcases the power of love, sacrifice, and triumph over adversity. Since the post went live on Instagram, it has collected over 11.4 K hearts and nearly 2K farewell messages for Violet. Former British professional boxer Johnny Nelson, who knew both Lennox and his mother closely, wrote a heartwarming message for Violet.

“It’s an incomparable kind of heartbreak… You’ll be thankful and grateful for the time and love you had with her on this earth. And that will keep you sane at times when you feel so crushed and weak, you feel don’t want to wake in the mornings. You will never forget her but the pain will ease my Brother. And you will see the light pass in these dark days, in time R:I:P.”

The love for Violet wasn’t confined to the borders of a country. Former American boxer Antonio Tarver joined the line with his sweet words for Lennox’s mother. “Our sincere condolences from the entire boxing community. May she rest in eternal peace,” wrote Tarver.

Another popular name penned a message for Violet. Professional female boxer Natasha Jonas wrote, “God bless her, may she rest in power. Sending love and hugs to u and ur family.”

Fans were equally considerate. One user suggested Violet isn’t truly gone. Rather, she will visit Lennox in his dreams and visions. “She will visit you in your dreams and visions from time to time and your right she is at peace now,” wrote the user.

Someone else was effusive in praise and highlighted the biggest achievement of Violet’s career, raising Lennox, champion of the world. “She raised a champion! Rest in power,” wrote the user. 

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