![]() ![]() In the present day, Lewkowicz has switched over to promoting his own fighters with his company Sampson Boxing and has found great success with developing relatively unknown prospects into champions including World Super Middleweight Champion David Benavidez, former two-time champion Javier Fortuna Javier “El Abejón” Fortuna, former world Unified WBA and IBF Super Welterweight Champion Jeison “Banana” Rosario, former WBA Interim World Featherweight Champion Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez, and is now guiding top junior middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora and his recently debuted sister Gabriela Fundora to glory. Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez would go on to become unified middleweight champion and a boxing superstar over the last seven years of his career. We all started working together with Lou as promoter and me as advisor and matchmaker.” Don’t miss this one and to his credit, this time he trusted me. I said Lou, you made a mistake with Manny Pacquiao. I was still a matchmaker then and not a promoter, so I called all the big-name promoters again and asked if they are interested in signing him? I was told that Argentineans don’t bring anything to the table. “Sergio had just fought Saul Roman in an elimination bout for the WBC and won by KO 4. The unknown Martinez is already a 10-year pro, who failed in his only important fight by getting stopped in seven rounds by future world champion Antonio Margarito. The year is now 2007 and Lewkowicz spots something in an Argentinean middleweight contender named Sergio Martinez. Lewkowicz soon took the plunge and signed his first boxer, middleweight Brian Barbosa and guided him to two important championship eliminator bouts versus Antwun Echols and Carl Daniels. Sulaiman that his interest in boxing returned. Ingrid Bergman developed such a close friendship that she confided in him before anybody that she had been diagnosed with cancer. While there, and based on his charm and personality, Lewkowicz established very warm friendships with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, ex-President Jimmie Carter Real Estate Tycoon Donald Trump and World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman. ![]() Two years later, Lewkowicz was working as a manager at the prestigious electronics store Jason’s 5th Avenue and later Joal 5th Avenue in New York City. Three years later, he married his wife Ketty, his lifelong companion. Searching for new horizons, Lewkowicz emigrated to the US at age 20 in 1971. His sole defeat came via knockout “I went flying out of the ring and at that point I discovered that my future was not in the squared circle” he laughed. So much so that he even had a brief amateur career consisting of three fights held at the local YMCA, compiling a 2-1 record. ![]() Lewkowicz discovered a great passion for the sport of boxing a young boy in Montevideo, Uruguay. And planted the roots to his legendary ability to spot raw talent in off-the-beaten-path locations. Lewkowicz still has the contract to this day. Soon after that, the unknown underdog knocked out champion Lehlo Ledwaba in six brutal rounds. I could tell because I do my homework.”Īnd so, on that fateful day, future superstar Manny Pacquiao signed a promotional contract with M&M, handwritten by the lawyer. I went straight to Murad and said we have to sign this kid. “I watched it again in slow motion and realized it was an amazing left hook to the body. “I watched a fight from the beginning of his career, and he won by a bodyshot knockdown,” recalled Lewkowicz. Sampson Lewkowicz, then working as a matchmaker for Murad Muhammad’s M & M Sports is in a meeting with the lawyer and they are watching a video of one of the fighter’s early victories. All the sport’s top promoters have said they have no interest in a 120-lb fighter from a distant country. The year is 1999 and a lawyer representing an unknown super bantamweight from the Philippines is having trouble getting anyone to pay any attention to his client. ![]()
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