BOXING: Sport is full of hard-luck stories, the athlete with a career dogged by mishaps and misfortune that has cruelled their chances of reaching the dizzy heights their abundant talent promised.
Australian boxer Daniel Lewis is one such athlete, but he’s determined to end the rot that has plagued him, it seems, for four years.
That’s when a raw 17-year-old with lofty Olympic ambitions had his dreams, and his jaw, shattered in a split second following a crushing hook from Australian opponent, Cameron Hammond.
Despite the pain and obvious discomfort, Lewis fought on, but his London 2012 chances were blown.
It started a run which would demoralise most.
“I had glandular fever when I boxed at the 2013 World Championships in Kazakhstan, I got cut by a helmet in Glasgow, and then had a tough decision in Doha,” Lewis said this week.
“I’ve had a bit of an unlucky run.”
It is a truism in boxing that no boxer ever believes they have been beaten, but Lewis does seem to have reason to bemoan the decision which went against him at the recent Doha World Championships.
But he’s not going to dwell on it.
“I’ve looked at it a fair few times,” he said.
“I did perform well, but the way they were scoring some of the fights over there were pretty rubbish.
“He was on the back foot the whole time, he didn’t come forward at all. I did take a while to get over the loss, but I’m over it now and ready for the Aussies.
“I’ve just got to move on.”
The “Aussies” Lewis refers to are the Australian Championships, which begin on the Gold Coast this week.
The event is an important qualification tournament on the path to a possible Olympics, and 21-year-old Lewis is leaving nothing to chance.
“I just spent two weeks in China preparing, so I’m feeling on fire,” he said.
“And after my loss at the World Championships, it’s making me feel more hungry and determined to win this Olympic qualifier.
“I feel like my boxing style has come out a lot better this year, so I’m feeling confident I’ll take out the Australian titles again.”
At 21, Lewis is still learning a lot about his sport. He’s spent many months overseas this year, studying other styles and tactics.
When he steps into the ring this weekend, fans are likely to see a different technique.
“Instead of being so aggressive up front, that was really my only style before, but now I’ve got more skills and more of a boxing brain,” Lewis said.
“I’ve got more tactics and technique. It’s helped a lot.”
He’ll need all of those tactics and technique if he is to get to Brazil next year, as the boxing qualification path is incredibly difficult.
It used to be that Australians could win their local title, than the Oceania titles, to book an Olympic ticket.
But now they have to do not just the above, but also match it with the best in Asia.
“It’s a tough road, especially compared to how it used to be,” Lewis said.
“But it brings the level of boxing in Australia up, because we have to raise the bar. We have to beat the best in Asia as well, so it makes it more skilled, more pressure on us to perform to show how we deserve to be in the Olympics.
“I reckon I’ve got what it takes. I’ve got the style to beat the best in Asia, and I’ve got the determination.”
There can be no doubting that. All he needs now is a little luck.
Ross Solly
Boxing Australia
