In a shocking turn of events, TRIPLE world boxing champion Jeff Fenech has attempted to harm the one individual who has been a true friend and ally.
This move is a low blow and highlights Fenech’s unsportsmanlike nature both in and out of the ring.
On the receiving end of his actions is Fenech’s long-time friend and mentor, Johnny Lewis, a champion trainer.
This is not the first instance of a rift between Australia’s most celebrated boxing duo, and it may well be the last.
The split comes after the publication of Lewis’s new biography co-authored with Paul Kent, which Fenech claims portrays him as the villain while casting Lewis in a saintly light.
“I need to share my side of the story because some statements in the book are damaging and hurtful,” Fenech stated. “I’m currently consulting with legal experts to explore the possibility of suing him for defamation.”
In a series of shocking accusations, Fenech is holding Lewis and his physician accountable for his eighth-round knockout defeat against Azumah Nelson at Princes Park Melbourne in 1992, which took place in front of 44,000 spectators.
“Johnny claims in the book that I was out womanizing before the fight,” Fenech remarked. “There’s no denying it—yes, I pursued women, and I won’t deny that.”
“However, I can disclose that the majority of the team was involved in the same activities in the days leading up to the fight. I have witnesses to back that up.”
“The book implies that my loss in Melbourne was entirely my fault.”
Fenech also expressed frustration regarding pain-relief injections administered to him for a hand injury, alleging that the doctor miscalculated the dosage prior to facing Nelson.
We reached out to the physician, who chose not to comment.
In the biography, Lewis recounts noticing something was amiss with Fenech when he entered the ring without performing the cross sign he had done before prior fights.
“I’m about to share the true story for the first time,” Fenech declared. “I’m not excusing my loss, but there were several factors at play, and Johnny is aware of them. I could barely walk when I exited the dressing room for the fight.”
Recently, Fenech held a meeting with Lewis and Kent at a coffee shop in Leichhardt to discuss their disagreements regarding the book.
“I was interviewed before they penned it, but I only shared positive anecdotes about Johnny because I wanted it to celebrate his career,” Fenech explained. “I didn’t share any of the negative aspects with Paul Kent.”
“But when I read the book, it felt like a betrayal. It presented Johnny as a 
great person and painted me as the villain. It completely omitted essential facts, such as when I secured a $150,000 sponsorship from Durant Food Services.”
“I bought Johnny a new car for $38,000 and furnished his new house with $30,000 worth of furniture.”
“I gave him 25 percent of all my earnings. For one fight, I paid him $450,000.”
“No one else in the world does that; the standard rate is 10 percent, and I was unaware—I gave him 25 percent.”
Fenech and Lewis once shared a bond akin to that of a father and son.
After being honored as the Australian sportsman of the year in 1985, Fenech expressed in his acceptance speech: “I owe everything to Johnny; without him, I could have ended up in jail. He transformed my life. In fact, he built my life. Every achievement I’ve attained in boxing and in life I attribute to him.”
How drastically things have shifted. Even prior to the turmoil surrounding the biography, their communication had dwindled. Although Lewis is the godfather of Fenech’s son, Beau, they have no interaction.
“He doesn’t even call him,” Fenech revealed. “He has never given him a gift—never even a Paddle Pop.”
“When I was glassed a few years back, he didn’t even reach out to see if I was alright.”
“If someone punctured his tire, I’d be the first to be there.”to assist him. However, not Johnny.
“He purchased three houses with the money he earned from me.
“Yet, after I got taken out in my final match against Calvin Grove, I spent four months in my room crying, and he never reached out to me even once.
“Going through the book was truly painful for me. I can’t just sit by while he spreads falsehoods about me.
“Why didn’t he reveal the truth regarding the Nelson fight? I simply want to clarify the facts and express that there’s much more to Johnny Lewis than what is portrayed in the book.
“I acknowledge I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve never betrayed my friends.
“He’s the one filled with bitterness. He took 25 percent of my income. I made him millions. Without me, he’d still be a signwriter. He knows this, yet you wouldn’t realize it from his book.
“He had no one at the gym. Everyone started showing up once I became a champion. Joe Bugner, Virgil Hill, Jeff Harding, Kostya Tszyu.”
Fenech asserts that he has reliable witnesses to support any of the statements he is making about Lewis today.
“This isn’t a personal vendetta against him,” Fenech stated, “it’s about correcting the record.
“I treated Johnny better than my own family. I indulged him like no other and now I regret it.
“I triumphed over everyone because I was the best, not due to Johnny Lewis, although he claims the credit now.
“It was my own talent.
“He’s not the one who’s going to teach me how to throw a punch. He directed when to jab and when to hook but never demonstrated how to execute it.
“He was an excellent motivator, and I would have gone to great lengths for him… but not anymore, I wouldn’t.”
