Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz is tipping his hat to the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame for chucking him into their 2023 class of honorees.
For over 30 years, Lewkowicz has been the bloke behind the curtain, unearthing a bunch of the boxing world’s shining stars, including the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Sergio Martinez, alongside a roster of others like Sultan Ibragimov, David Benavidez, and the Fundora siblings, to rattle off a few.
Hailing from Montevideo, Uruguay, Lewkowicz kicked off in the boxing biz matchmaking for Murad Muhammad’s outfit before venturing out with his own gig, Sampson Boxing, in 2008.
This chap from South America has steered 39 world champs to glory, trotted the globe putting on fights, and thrown his weight behind the boxing youth in South America by backing a bunch of big-deal tournaments in cahoots with the WBC in Mexico.
Lewkowicz has been the brains behind a heap of Atlantic City bashes, beaming fights to the masses on USA Network’s Tuesday Night Fights, and later, stirring up the scene with shows on ShoBox: The New Generation and ESPN Friday Night Fights.
“Atlantic City’s like a second home, and getting a nod from the ACHOF means the world,” Lewkowicz stated. “If it wasn’t for Atlantic City and a bit of wise counsel from commissioner Larry Hazard, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
Lewkowicz’s story reads like a boxing fairy tale, moving stateside at 20 in ’71, tying the knot with his missus Ketty, and raising their lad Nathan.
Lewkowicz has brought a parade of top-tier fighters to Atlantic City, including Olympic silver medalist Sultan Ibragimov and middleweight champ “Maravilla” Martinez, not to mention a host of contenders and local hero Leavander Johnson.
“Atlantic City’s been brilliant to me; I’ve had a cracking time rolling out the red carpet for boxing’s big names and smashing events,” Lewkowicz added. “I owe a lot to the sharp minds in boxing I’ve met there. Cheers for the honor.”
