$500 thousand
What is Butch Lewis’ Net Worth?
Ronald “Butch” Lewis was an American boxing promoter and manager who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death.
Ronald “Butch” Everett Lewis, born on June 26, 1946, was an esteemed American boxing promoter and manager until his passing on July 23, 2011. His most notable work included managing Leon and Michael Spinks, both of whom are renowned boxing brothers. Woodbury, N.J. was his birthplace, but he was brought up in Philadelphia, Pa., where he forged lifelong friendships with luminaries such as Denzel Washington and Bob Johnson, the former BET owner, among other celebrities throughout his promoting career.
| Category | Butch Lewis’ Net Worth |
|---|---|
| Birth Day | June 26, 1946 |
| Birth Place | United States |
| Age | 77 years old |
| Birth Sign | Cancer |
| Net Worth | $500 Thousand |
| Gender | Male |
Butch Lewis Productions was the focus of Lewis’s later years. His most memorable legacy includes orchestrating a lucrative deal for Michael Spinks, an ex-Olympic medalist and heavyweight champion, to fight Mike Tyson, a legendary knockout artist, in 1988. Despite Spinks, a client of Lewis at the time, being defeated in the first round, the fight earned him $13.5 million.
In the late 1970s, Lewis also made his mark co-promoting several Muhammad Ali fights. This includes the historic 1978 match where Ali was defeated by Lewis’s client, Leon Spinks. Another notable incident in Lewis’s career was when Dwight Muhammad Qawi, a former boxing champion, backed out last minute from a fight arranged by Lewis, costing him significantly.
Henry “Discombobulating” Jones, recognized as the first Black boxing ring announcer, recounted his interactions with Butch over the years. He remembered Lewis’s broken promise of hiring him for a major fight at Harlem’s famous Apollo Hall, a commitment that slipped Lewis’s mind leading to the hiring of a different announcer. Lewis’s heartfelt apology to Jones, requesting that the oversight be attributed to his head and not his heart, showcased his honest approach to business.
Lewis’s personality was unique and his generosity well-known. In 2004, his efforts, particularly his role in leading a boycott against apartheid in South Africa during the 1970s and ’80s, were recognized when Nelson Mandela, the South African president at the time, honored him with the nation’s highest humanitarian award. Following Mandela’s release in 1990, Lewis actively assisted in fundraising for Mandela’s ANC party. His philanthropy also extended to education, exemplified by the Butch Lewis Foundation Scholarship Fund, which supported several students at Morehouse College, earning him an honorary doctorate in 2007.
Butch Lewis’s life ended due to a heart attack at his home in Bethany Beach, Delaware. A public wake and funeral service were held on August 1 at Wilmington, Del.’s Chase Center on the Riverfront. In remembrance, the Lewis family asked for donations to the Butch Lewis Foundation instead of floral tributes, continuing his legacy of support and contribution
