Lance Revill

Lance Revill, born in Auckland in 1953, has done most things in boxing. He was President of the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association, has been a promoter, referee and professional boxer and once famously once boxed Muhammad Ali in Auckland. He also won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in Christchurch in 1974.

He was the New Zealand light-middleweight champion in 1972 and 1973, and won an Oceania Games title in 1973, results that earned him selection for Christchurch.

Boxing in the light-middleweight division (67kg-71kg) at the Games, Revill comfortably beat John Langol of Uganda in his first bout when the referee stopped the contest in the second round. Next he faced Samoan Utifiu Vaili and earned a hard-fought points victory. In the semis Revill met a strong, stocky Scot, Alexander Harrison, and lost a split decision, and so took a bronze medal.

A couple of months later, Revill, only 20, turned professional, and embarked on a career that was to span 16 years. He had 21 wins (13 knockouts) and 13 losses in light-heavyweight bouts in New Zealand and Australia.

In the pro ranks, Revill won the New Zealand professional light-heavyweight title in 1979 and the heavyweight title in 1988.

He is recalled for two professional bouts in 1989. The first, in a bout Revill was ruled to have lost in the second round, was in Auckland, on February 27. Revill injured an arm when the ring collapsed. The other fight, Revill's best performance, took place on May 24 in New South Wales. He lost a 12-round split decision to Apollo Sweet in a bout for the vacant Commonwealth (British Empire), Australasian and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation cruiserweight titles.

After retiring from boxing, he founded Revill’s Boxing Gym in 1985. The gym has produced some high-class boxers and Revill became a respected trainer. The gym is still a Pakuranga landmark.

Despite all his big bouts, it was the two rounds he fought with Muhammad Ali in 1979 that many people remember him for. On his only visit to New Zealand, Ali brought out a 10-man amateur boxing team and trained at Auckland's Onehunga gym for a week. Revill loved watching the great man banter and box, but didn’t he’d have the chance to get in the ring with him.

He was at Western Springs as Ali squared off against fellow champion boxers Jimmy Ellis and Joe Bugner. Revill thought the exhibition bouts were lame and noted the crowd growing restless.

Ali next made light work of a man from the crowd and then pointed to Revill, who by this point had made his way to ringside.

‘He saw me and said, “You're the great white hope.” I got in the ring wearing brown boots, bellbottom pants and a paisley shirt, which was the fashion back then. As I put my gloves on my heart was beating like a bastard.

“I turned and looked at Ali and thought, ‘I'm going to have a go at him. I might as well make it worthwhile and give the crowd some excitement.’

“The first round was a blur for me, it went so fast. But nearly everything I threw connected. I got him with some good shots; right hands, left hooks. Right on the bell I threw an uppercut and left hook and caught him.”

Well satisfied, but exhausted, Revill went back to his corner, slumped on the ropes and tried to get his gloves off. Ali had other ideas. He came over and whacked Revill on the back and said, “One more round.”

“Next thing the bell rung and Ali came at me, so I had to defend myself. This time he was serious – it was payback for the first round. I took a whack in the forehead and I was against the ropes and seeing stars.”

As President of the national boxing association, Revill was never afraid to state his opinions. For example, when Joseph Parker turned professional, he said that Parker's promoters were only being interested in money, that Parker was being over-hyped and that he was being over-matched. Revill lives in Auckland, with his wife Denise. They have four children, Jake, Lisa Ann, Tanya and Kylie, who became a boxing official.