Forty years after his brutal ‘fight of the century’ with Barry Michael, Lester Ellis’ sons are making their name in boxing, but not as fighters

Lester Ellis boxes in an orthodox stance — yet his life has been anything but. Forty years on from his fight of the century with Barry Michael, he’s passing the torch on to his sons.

Lester Ellis’ sons are all making their way in their individual careers. Picture: Tony Gough

Forty years on from his brutal world title battle with Barry Michael in Melbourne,

Lester Ellis is watching his sons making their name in boxing, but as business owners not fighters.

The hugely hyped fight between Ellis and Michael on July 12, 1985 occurred during a golden era of Australian boxing with the two Melburnians slugging it out for the International Boxing Federation super featherweight belt.

The showdown at Festival Hall, won by Michael, was notable as one of the last times professional fighters were allowed to go 15 gruelling and dangerous rounds in the ring.

“For Barry and I it was pure competition. We could not be friends. He put sh*t on me and I put sh*t on him. It went on and it went a bit overboard,” Ellis said.

“We are friends now. I like Barry, he is a top guy, but I wanted to win that fight so desperately. I was 19-years-old, I was only a boy.

“After I lost, I took it pretty bad, got depressed and things happened that I am not proud of, but then I picked myself up. I went on to win two Australian titles in different weight divisions, I won two Commonwealth titles in different weight divisions and I am the only Australian fighter to win five world titles in five different weight divisions.”

While Ellis, 60, long ago hung up his gloves, boxing is very much the family business.

Three of his four sons have established successful businesses involving the ‘sweet science’, with his youngest shaping up for his debut fight later this year.

Ellis and his wife Sharon’s four sons, Lester Jnr, 34, Jake, 33, Darcy, 29, and Dempsey, 17, are all named after boxers. Picture: Tony Gough

Ellis and his wife Sharon’s four sons, Lester Jnr, 34, Jake, 33, Darcy, 29, and Dempsey, 17, are all named after boxers.

“Lester Jnr is named after dad, Jake is named after Jake LaMotta, I was named after Les Darcy and Dempsey was named after Jack Dempsey,” Darcy said.

Lester Jnr, Jake and Darcy all spent time in the ring – Lester Jnr had 12 amateur fights, Jake had two professional fights for two knockouts and Darcy had three professional fights for three wins – but early in their careers spotted opportunities on the other side of the ropes.

“A few years ago now, they were going through that stage where they stay up all night, sleep all day, and then one day, Jakey came downstairs and said ‘Dad, I want to be an entrepreneur,’ and then a bit later down the track Darcy came along and said he wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Ellis said.

“I’m not one to be negative so I said, ‘Bloody oath, go for it, you can do that’.”

Darcy and Lester Jnr, are partners in the highly regarded Hitfit chain of gyms.

“Hitfit exists to help people transform their lives through the vehicle of boxing,” Darcy said.

“We are more geared towards everyday people and families, adults and children and our goal is to make boxing as inclusive as possible and to challenge the stereotype that you have to be a certain type of person to do boxing. We focus on the mental, social, physical and health benefits of boxing.

“We have four locations (Ravenhall, Melton, Hoppers Crossing and Maidstone) at the moment with a plan to open up another four next year.

“I really enjoy helping people transform their lives and set and reach their goals. It is very rewarding.”

12/07/1985. Lester Ellis after losing the IBF junior lightweight title to Barry Michael at Festival Hall. Boxing. Boxer. Picture: Supplied

The showdown at Festival Hall, won by Michael, was notable as one of the last times professional fighters were allowed to go 15 gruelling and dangerous rounds in the ring. Picture: Supplied

Boxing – Boxer Lester Ellis enjoys victory as a unanimous points decision goes his way after Commonwealth light welterweight title fight with Tony Laing at Apollo Entertainment Centre 04 Aug 1988. Behind him is Singer Jimmy Barnes. (Pic by staff photographer Ray Titus) LIB FILE: P Boxing – E

Jake owns two gyms under the Team Ellis banner in Keilor East and Laverton North and also runs the powerful Team Ellis Events boxing promotions business which organises fight nights.

“I did my first professional boxing event in 2011 when I was 18 and I have now done 50 promotions,” Jake said.

“In the beginning I was only promoting professional fighters and then as time went on we opened up a gym and then slowly started working with crossover athletes like Tayla Harris (AFLW player) and Western Bulldogs premiership player Clay Smith, they have been with us (fighting) for six years, and Nelson Asofa-Solomona from the Melbourne Storm.

“From there we started incorporating reality TV celebrities from shows like Married At First Sight, Love Island and The Bachelor into our promotions.

“Match ups between people from different shows, or who have had drama between them on a show they appeared on together, get a lot of attention.

“The influencers, the crossover athletes and the serious professional boxers, they all bring their own audiences. As a promoter the job is to try and build up the event (a fight night) to be as big as possible.”

Team Ellis Events has grown to become one of the biggest boxing promoters in Australia.

Lester Jnr, who is a partner in Hitfit with Darcy and is a boxing trainer, has also dabbled in acting, appearing in TV series including Chris Lilley’s Ja’mie: Private School Girl and Underbelly.

“Our gym Hitfit is very much for anyone who wants to do boxing and then the fighters who are showing promise and want to test themselves a bit more, they can move over to my brother Jake,” Lester Jnr said.

“Jake can handle serious fighters and, when they are ready, put them on to a promotion.

“With the Hitfit gyms, I am the person on the floor, I handle the integrity of the gym and I keep morale going.

“If someone comes in and is more interested in the mirrors and whatnot, I will remind them that this is not a fashion contest. We want the gyms to be a good experience.”

Jake owns two gyms under the Team Ellis banner in Keilor East and Laverton North and also runs the powerful Team Ellis Events boxing promotions business which organises fight nights. Picture: Tony Gough

Carrying on the family tradition of stepping into the ring, the youngest of Ellis and Sharon’s sons, Dempsey is working towards his debut fight.

“I was a late bloomer when it came to boxing,” Dempsey said.

“I have been living and breathing it my whole life, but I never really had a passion for it growing up. I liked other sports like soccer or basketball.

“My family has always said, ‘don’t do what we are doing, do what makes you happy.’

“As I have got older I really have found my love for boxing and have started to take it seriously in the past seven months.”

Dempsey is being trained by his brother, Jake.

“In terms of personal development boxing really gives me purpose in the sense that it is so hard, but the rewards are so big,” Dempsey said.

“I have huge shoes to fill, but I think if you believe in yourself anything is possible.”

Despite being married to one of Australia’s best known boxers, Sharon Ellis said she had never got used to seeing her sons in the ring.

She and Ellis have been married for 36 years.

“I love boxing for what it can do for everyone who gets involved in terms of health, fitness and self confidence, but as far as the actual combat part, the fighting, I am okay with other people fighting, but when it comes to my family I just can’t get used to it,” Sharon said.

“When I met Lester, he had already won a world title, he won another three world titles after we got married, so I knew what I was getting myself into.

“Fortunately for me when the boys were born and they started to show an interest, I knew they were in the best hands they could possibly be in. I did not have to worry about someone I did not really know advising them, it was their father.

“The three older ones have gone on to choose to be involved in boxing as businessmen, not fighters and we are really proud with what they have achieved.”

For Ellis, in the decades since his history making fight with Michael, life has been filled with enormous highs, challenging lows, health issues and struggles with alcohol, but his family has always been by his side.

1985. Lester Ellis. Boxing. Boxer. [Sun 26/4/1985]

1985. Lester Ellis after defeating Hwan-Kil Yuh. World Junior Lightweight Champion title. Festival Hall. Boxing. Melbourne.

Born in England, Ellis arrived in Melbourne aged three. His parents split when he was five.

A gifted amateur boxer, he turned professional aged 18.

“In the amateur days I won six Victorian titles and three Australian titles, then when I was 18 I thought, ‘You can’t eat trophies, you have to turn pro,’ he said.

“I wanted a car and a farm.”

Success came fast and by the time he was preparing for the famous showdown with Michael, Ellis was the reigning IBF Super Featherweight world champion, a title he had won in February 1985.

“I was 19 and was champion of the whole world and it just blew my mind,” he said.

“Older women wanted to baby me, young sheilas wanted to kiss me, I did not know what was going on.”

Ellis said he could have achieved more if his career had not been so rushed in the early years.

“They rushed me that much, everyone wanted to make money,” he said.

“In one year I had a Commonwealth title fight, 12 rounds, a world title fight, 15 rounds, three weeks later I had another world title fight, 15 rounds, six weeks later I had another fight over 15 rounds.

“I fought for 22 years. I had a couple of breaks in between and as I was getting older I was feeling the wear and tear a bit, but I came back and fought again.”

Observed Lester Jnr, “Dad was like an old fighter at 23. You see people now have one defence and take an 18 month break. Dad would have 16 fights in that time.”

Added Jake: “Dad fought 70-plus rounds in one year once. Now it would be impossible for people to fight more than 36, there is so much more regulation and control.”

These days Ellis is a fancier not a fighter. Picture: Tony Gough

These days Ellis is a fancier not a fighter, with pigeon racing his enduring hobby.

“I have had pigeons all my life,” he said.

“I have always loved birds and I have always loved animals.”

He is also a devoted grandfather to his three-year-old granddaughter, River Rose.

“I love her, I am going to make sure she has a good life,” he said.

Having carved out his career through blood, sweat and sacrifice in the ring, Ellis said he was impressed by the choices his sons had made. His home is filled with trophies and memorabilia from his career and there is a boxing ring in the backyard.

“I wanted then to have opportunities. They all had ability (as fighters),” he said.

“I wanted them to know how to hit and look after themselves, you always need self defence. “They were starting to show a bit of talent and then Jake said, ‘I think I can make business out of this boxing’ – how smart is that?”

Originally published as Forty years after his brutal ‘fight of the century’ with Barry Michael, Lester Ellis’ sons are making their name in boxing, but not as fighters