John Lewis became a boxing coach at the age of 17, coaching Jeff Fenech to the Australian Super Flyweight title, the South Pacific Bantamweight championship, the Australian Featherweight championship, and the WBC Super Bantamweight championship. This success made Lewis the first Australian trainer to coach a boxer to three official world boxing championships.

In 1988 he began coaching Jeff Harding and went on to coach him to his WBC Light Heavyweight title. This made Lewis the first Australian person to coach two world boxing champions.

Lewis was the trainer for the 1989 Australian rugby league touring team to New Zealand and was appointed Australian boxing trainer for the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

Honours & Awards

Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989
Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to boxing as a trainer and coach, and to Australian rugby league in 2006
Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017