Lennox Lewis: I respect Kellie Maloney's decision to have a sex change

Retired world champion Lennox Lewis has spoken in support of his former boxing promoter Frank Maloney, who is undergoing a sex change and is now living as a woman named Kellie.

The undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion, who retired in 2004, said he "respects Kellie's decision" but was "as shocked as anyone" when he heard the news.

The 41-year-old posted his support on Facebook:

Peckham-born Maloney, 61, who helped Lewis become Britain’s first undisputed world heavyweight champion for nearly a century, revealed the change in an interview with the Sunday Mirror.

Maloney, who guided Lewis to the world heavyweight title in 1993, retired after 30 year as a promoter last October.