Butch Lewis, the colorful boxing promoter who worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Michael and Leon Spinks, has died. He was 65.
Funeral home owner Sammy Congo of Congo Funeral
Home in Wilmington, Del., says he received notification of Lewis' death on
Saturday morning and was expected to meet family members on Sunday.
He did not have information about how Lewis died.
Lewis was best known in the ring for sporting
tuxedos with no shirt and being involved in some of the sport's biggest fights.
He promoted the Michael Spinks-Mike Tyson fight in 1988 that ended with a first
round knock of Spinks, who earned more than $13 million for the fight.
He began his career in boxing in the 1970s, but
later branched into music and entertainment.
Before the Zab Judah-Amir Khan fight in Las Vegas
on Saturday, Lewis was honored by ring announcer Michael Buffer and given a
10-bell count.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
