Willard looks for knockout deal

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Willard Lewis is on the verge of greatness. At least, he is on the verge of the potential for greatness.

The 24-year-old Cree boxer, who fights under the name Red Thunder Rock, who holds the Canadian cruiserweight boxing title, and who boasts an impressive professional boxing record of 14 wins (10 with knockouts) and no losses, is running out of worthy opponents.

The young boxer, known for his controlled rage in the ring, his drive, stamina, power and strong chin, is now being lured south of the border to what some may consider the "Big Show," and the equally big money.

After training under some highly capable hands down south, he is ready to move on in his career. Canada has very little to offer, he told Alberta Sweetgrass recently. Nobody seems to want to get into the ring with Red Thunder Rock.

After his win in May to grab the cruiserweight title, Lewis was contacted by some pretty big name boxing promoters who liked his style.

Lou Duva, the same Lou Duva who manages Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, has put an invitation to Lewis to attend a training camp in Florida for a week or so to see what he's made of.

The mild-mannered and soft spoken Lewis must be excited by the prospect, but has kept his cool about the invite. He is intending to attend the camp, which should be his foot in the door to the notoriety and the dollar signs he deserves after duking it out through almost 100 amateur fights (finishing with an 85 and 13 record) and quickly moving up the professional ranks.

Duva, as a promoter, is well-known for his big-budget television contracts, which can bring in some very big coin to fighters battling it out in front of the cameras.

But it seems that before he looks to the south, Lewis would like another title belt around his waist.

The Red Thunder Rock camp is continuing to try and set up a fight with Dale Brown and/or Eric Lucas. Both worthy fighters hold titles, which really appeals to Lewis.

He said the Lucas camp is looking at an October date for a showdown in Montreal. Lewis likes the idea, but he is already concerned about the prize money. So far, it looks like the fight could net him $7,000 - which is more than the couple hundred he'd pick up in his younger days, but not enough for his talents today.

"It's not enough . . . should be at least $10,000," said Lewis.

The other problem is the Lucas camp won't put their boxer's belt on the line for the match. So for now, the match is on hold while negotiations continue.

Before any fights, however, it seems that the Red Thunder Rock camp has a few internal wrinkles to iron out.

According to Lewis' advisor Harold Burden, manager Milan Lubovic may be pulling a little too tight on the young boxers reins. Burden said the manager is trying to mold Lewis instead of letting him fight the way he has been in the past. The problem continues with the fact that the Lewis camp has been used to the small, local circuit. Moving onto an international platform may be causing some growing pains among the group.

There's no word on when Lewis will head down to sunny Florida under the watchful eye of the Duva crew, but one thing is for sure, the Alberta Cree boxer has nothing to lose by going down to spar with a few new faces and make some new friends. If he can gather some new contacts within an industry he could go a long way in a short time.