Lennox Lewis strides down the players’ tunnel at the Boleyn ground, wearing a pastel blue blazer and a flat cap.
He is comfortably the biggest man in the place, a fact that does not go unnoticed when he stands next to a beaming David Gold.
A few minutes ago, Lewis has been inside the West Ham dressing room, giving Sam Allardyce’s team a heavyweight pre-match pep-talk before they take on Norwich City. ‘I told them that they had to go and win because I’m here!’ he says, with a grin. ‘The champ is here watching them, I’m supporting them and they need to go out and win.’
Few men are as intimate with the art of winning as Lewis – the kid who spent his early years in the streets of West Ham before going on to become the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, beating Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko along the way.
Does he remember the words he heard moments before his own big nights? ‘You always need a little motivational speech,’ he says. ‘It’s that last little word that sticks in your mind before you step onto the pitch or into the ring.
‘For me in an individual sport [success] depends a lot on yourself. I was very good at psyching myself up – you could see it when I came out of the dressing room. My eyes were very focused, I felt good and I felt very confident.
‘The mindset of a champ is never seeing a loss: looking ahead and seeing a win. Feeling very confident all the time: knowing that you’re going to go out there and give it 110%.’
It is fair to say that these are not entirely the attributes West Ham have demonstrated during the first two thirds of this season – in which they have thrashed about at the nether end of the Premier League, been humiliated 9-0 by Manchester City in the League Cup, etc.
But Lewis’ visit to the Boleyn Ground last night coincided with a rare period of good cheer. Before yesterday’s match West Ham had beaten Aston Villa and Swansea, both by 2-0. True, they had also announced the finalised sale of the Boleyn Ground to property developers, but they have been doing their best to spin this as the beginning of a new phase in the club’s history.
On the move to the Olympic Park, Lewis says, ‘I think they’re moving to a great place. I didn’t know what all the fuss was about. West Ham should have got that ground a long time ago.’
Read More
As for their prospects against Norwich? ‘Win! Win! Win! Win!’ says Lewis, before striding down the tunnel towards the glare of the floodlights and the burble of an impatient crowd. He’s introduced, gives the fans another bit of a gee-up, and disappears off to watch the match.
A couple of hours later, West Ham’s players are marching confidently back down the same tunnel, having won 2-0 for the third game on the trot. The power of a pep-talk? Or West Ham finally getting on a roll? Thanks either way, champ. You can come back every week, if you like.
