GUYANA’S first world champion Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis tasted defeat for the first time as a professional on March 30, 2002.Lewis had won the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title just over a year before and was making the third defence of the crown when he was stopped by a wild swinging Nicaraguan named Ricardo Mayorga.
Referee Rudy Battle halted the fight, held at the Sovereign Centre in Reading, Pennsylvania, at one minute eight seconds of the fifth round. Lewis had won the vacant WBA title after stopping American James Page in round seven in February 2001.
In his first defence, `The Albouystown Cyclone’ survived an early scare from Larry `Laser’ Marks to win by unanimous decision. In his second defence, Lewis retained the title after the bout against Mayorga was ruled a No-Contest.
An accidental head butt resulted in the Guyanese receiving a gash over his eye in the second round and the ringside doctor advised that the fight be stopped. Lewis later challenged World Boxing Organisation (WBO) welterweight champion Antonio Margarito in February 2003 but was stopped in the second round.
The bout was the last in the USA for Lewis who returned home for three epic battles against `Deadly’ Denny Dalton. The first ended in a draw and Dalton won the second. Lewis prevailed in the last.