Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis returned to the Transformación Social TRASO boxing gym in Mexico City yesterday, ten years since first visiting the Laureus-supported programme in what was then his first year as a Laureus World Sports Academy Member.
Lewis has just completed the Gumball 3000 rally, which this year ran from Miami to Mexico City, arriving on the eve of the opening match of the World Cup. Lewis was representing Laureus Sport for Good, since 2019 a charity partner of this unique event, and this year the Gumball Foundation raised over $1million for good causes through the event – including the project Lewis and a Laureus team visited. TRASO is a flagship initiative supported by Laureus Sport for Good and delivered as part of Jugamos Juntas, a partnership between Nike and Laureus.
Based in Mexico City, the programme uses boxing alongside structured activities to provide safe spaces, mentorship and personal development opportunities for vulnerable youth. Earlier this year, TRASO was shortlisted for the Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid. Funds raised by Gumball 3000 are also intended to support the Lennox Lewis League of Champions Foundation, which provides boxing programmes for young people in Jamaica, focusing on mentorship and life skills as well as benefiting from the boxing expertise of one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Lewis was joined during his visit by Athletic Club legend and new Laureus Ambassador Oscar de Marcos, as well as Gumball 3000 founder and CEO Maximillion Cooper. Speaking at TRASO, Laureus Academy Member Lennox said: “It’s amazing to come back with Laureus and see how much this programme has expanded since my visit here in 2016. The energy and commitment of everyone involved is truly humbling to witness.
“What I love about TRASO is how they use boxing not just to build champions in the ring, but to give young people confidence and belief in their daily lives. When I meet these kids, I see determination, discipline and belief – all values that sit at the heart of Laureus Sport for Good and the same qualities that shaped my own journey.” New Laureus Ambassador Oscar de Marcos was alongside Lewis – who had been joined by Spain’s 2010 World Cup winner Carles Puyol on his visit 10 years earlier.
De Marcos became a Laureus Ambassador after over 500 games for Athletic Club and was as respected for his commitment to the club’s responsibilities to its community as his relentless defending on the pitch. Laureus Ambassador Oscar de Marcos said: “It is a great honour to be here in Mexico City at such an inspirational programme.
“To see first-hand the impact that TRASO has on young people is incredible. Sport has the power to unite, to teach and to create opportunity, and I am excited to play my part with Laureus. The World Cup is about to capture the attention of the World and projects like this, supported by Laureus all over the world, remind us that sport has the power to bring real change to communities which are in desperate need of it.”
Maximillion Cooper, founder and CEO of Gumball 3000, said: “It is a privilege to continue our long partnership with Laureus Sport for Good and it’s always humbling to see the difference programmes such as TRASO can make in communities that need a focal point for their young people.
“To come here so soon after the end of another spectacular staging of Gumball 3000 reminds us why we do it – to empower partners such as Laureus Sport for Good, who know how to bring real change to communities.”
