“LOOKING back at where I came from and where I am now makes me remember all the struggles I went through and all the obstacles I have overcome. It’s been a long journey to get where I am today; I can see my dreams coming through and there is nothing that can stop me from achieving them.”

Those were the words of 26-year-old Shawn Lewis, a Guyanese native residing in Bronx, New York, and born as the sixth and final child to Lindon and Carmen Lewis from Anna Catherina, West Coast, Demerara.
Reflecting on his childhood days, Shawn said it was unfortunate that his parents’ union did not work out, a separation that hampered his lifestyle somewhat, until certain changes were made.
“Unfortunately, my parents’ marriage didn’t last. They separated when I was very young. However, I stayed with my father and my step-mother; but, things took a turn when my father moved to America.
“I was only nine years old when my father left and as soon as he left, I went to live with my mother at Stewartville, where life was never easy for me. I went to school and did part-time work with a furniture store just to get extra money to help my mother,” stated Lewis.
He added, “Eventually, things got worse at home and school, as there were times we did not have money and I could not go to school and having had many fistic confrontations with my peers as a child, I decided at the age of 15 to become a boxer, since I saw boxing as a way of getting away from all my worries.
But I couldn’t see my dream becoming a reality, as I had to concentrate on getting my life together, especially with me being in and out of work. I couldn’t write CXC because I didn’t have the money and all hope seemed lost until my father gave me the opportunity to go to America at the age of 21.”
Lewis said he had second thoughts of joining his father despite the circumstances he faced here in Guyana, but decided to do so, after his siblings and friends encouraged him, even reminding him of the good it would do for his boxing career.
“When I reached New York, I was scared at first but I got a job at a grocery store and after settling in, I became more independent and from there I started to get the things I have always wanted.
However, there was something missing. I did not feel as if I had fulfilled my goals until that morning when I found the missing link while taking a walk, a boxing gym that I couldn’t walk past” said Lewis.
He added, “I entered the gym and talked to the manager, told him I wanted to give boxing a try and he decided to give me a chance. At first I didn’t start off well but I didn’t give up. I knew this was it, this time I had the money to pay for the training and I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.
After some rough matches, I achieved some great wins and saw success, taking my record to 10-0. Then my coach told me about the Golden Gloves Championship. I know that boxing is the key to my success and I want to win the Golden Gloves to stand as an inspiration for anyone who thinks that they cannot achieve what they want in life,” posited Lewis.
No doubt, many boxing pundits in Guyana and the USA, would be hoping for Lewis to be successful in the Golden Gloves Championship which punches off later this month, since it can help kick start his career, as he pursues his dreams of becoming a world champion.
“I want to be like Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite and Vivian ‘Vicious’ Harris, three former world champions from Guyana. I may not be the next world champion as there are several boxers who are up there before me, but I will join that elite company one day.”