EX-British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Lennox Clarke has been sentenced to six years and four months in jail after information on drug dealing and suspicious activity led to his arrest. Clarke went on the run for several months before returning to the UK to face Gloucestershire Police.
The Stourbridge boxer, 33, was found to have met with Cheltenham drug dealer Ben Goff at least 12 times. Goff used a combination of taxis and his mother’s car over a three-month period to collect drugs in Birmingham to sell in Gloucestershire. He was jailed for seven years in early February.
Clarke had previously been convicted of supplying Class B drugs in 2012. Suspicion was raised about the number of times the former champion and Goff met in the West Midlands, leading to police observations and arrests.
Clarke travelled to Ireland, Thailand and Mexico as he sought to evade the law. Clarke will serve 317 fewer days in custody for the time spent on curfew. Lennox was previously a competent domestic-level professional who enjoyed solid success during his nine-year career.
He last boxed in the summer of 2022, sporting a 20-2-1 (8 KOs) record. After going 15-0, Clarke suffered an unexpected blemish when drawing with Karel Horejsek in Birmingham. He rebounded with a career-best win over Jahmaine Smyle, picking up an IBO bauble.
That win propelled him to a crack at 12-0 Lerrone Richards in 2019, losing narrowly on points for the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles. He would rectify that loss with a shock fifth-round stoppage of Willy Hutchinson in 2021, taking home both belts.
As COVID wreaked havoc with the schedule, Clarke waited over 15 months to defend his titles, losing by fifth-round stoppage to Mark Heffron. That was the last time he was seen in the ring.
