British boxing champ jailed for six years after running away to Ireland, Thailand and Mexico
Boxer Lennox Clarke has been sent down after being caught supplying drugs to a known dealer after he returned to the UK following trips abroad to avoid arrest
Former British and Commonwealth champion Lennox Clarke has been jailed after going on the run to Ireland, Thailand and Mexico to try to avoid capture.
Clarke, 33, was sent down for six years and four months for supplying cocaine to a dealer in Cheltenham. Gloucestershire Police found he had met a drug dealer, Ben Goff, at least 12 times after a previous conviction in 2012 for supplying Class B drugs.
Clarke upset Willy Hutchinson in 2021 to win the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles but he lost his first defence against Mark Heffron over a year later. He has not fought since. Detective Inspector Matt Phillips said after the verdict that he hoped Clarke's sentencing "gave confidence to the community" in reporting drug concerns and that the former fighter had not learned his lesson over his previous conviction.
Detective Inspector Phillips revealed that Gloucestershire Police started receiving information about suspicious activity and drug dealing happening back in 2023.
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Police arrested Goff, who was sentenced last year after selling drugs collected from Clarke to his Gloucestershire customers. That was when Clarke opted to go on the ring.
“Just after Goff got arrested, Clarke decided to go on the run for a number of months, initially staying in local hotels for a couple of nights, we think, trying to understand whether the police were coming for him," Detective Inspector Phillips said.
"Then, he went out through Wales to Ireland, and spent some time on the run in Thailand, Mexico and other places until he returned to the UK and was arrested."
Clarke’s professional career started in 2013 before he slowly built himself up the rankings on small-hall shows in different parts of the countries. He started appearing on TV cards and lost to Lerrone Richards in 2019 but bounced 18 months later by beating Hutchinson, who was a highly-rated prospect promoted by Frank Warren at the time.
Clarke never announced a retirement but was seemingly finished with the sport before he found himself in trouble outside of the ring again. His career will certainly be over now as he is set to spend a significant amount of time behind bars.
