Funeral service held for late boxing promoter

WILMINGTON, Del. – Mourners, including some celebrities, have paid tribute to the late boxing promoter Butch Lewis at a memorial service in Delaware.

Lewis, who worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Michael and Leon Spinks, died last week of natural causes at the age of 65. A funeral service was held Monday morning at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.

Family spokeswoman Terrie Williams says actor Denzel Washington and boxer Mike Tyson were among those in attendance.

Lewis is perhaps best known for promoting the 1988 Michael Spinks-Mike Tyson fight. That bout ended with a first round knockout of Spinks, who earned more than $13 million for the fight.

Lewis began his career in boxing in the 1970s and later branched out into music and entertainment.