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Panos Eliades, promoter of World Boxing Congress heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, donated $25,000 to the UNLV Foundation to create the Panos Eliades Endowment Fund for the UNLV Boxing Club, according to Jim Bolla, director of development for UNLV athletics. The presentation took place today in the Barron Hilton Auditorium at UNLV's Lied Athletic Complex.

"The new UNLV boxing program is very fortunate to have an active supporter like Mr. Eliades," said Bolla. "This generous gift will have a long-lasting influence on the quality of boxing at the university."

Eliades is the managing director of Panix Promotions, which is based in London, England. An entrepreneur, Eliades has moved rapidly into the upper echelons of the international boxing industry. He is also senior partner in Panos Eliades-Franklin, an international chartered accounting firm in London. Panix Promotions represents World Boxing Congress heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and is currently organizing a bout between Lewis and Evander Holyfield.

Panos Eliades was accompanied during the ceremony by his associate John Caluwaert, a Chicago attorney. Caluwaert was instrumental in arranging the gift to the UNLV Boxing Club. He also initiated contact with the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and proposed the hotel as the site for the Lewis and Holyfield fight.

"The positive reaction I received from officials and citizens of Las Vegas made me feel that I would like to become a more active participant in the boxing activities in the area," said Eliades. "It is a pleasure to be here to present this gift to create an endowment for the UNLV Boxing Club to help the student-athletes and their new club. I commend the efforts of club chairman Bruce Kobrin and Coach Gary "Skip" Kelp and their foresight in creating the UNLV Boxing Club to help present and future students."

Kobrin, vice president and general manager of Coors of Las Vegas, and professional welterweight boxer, Kelp, formed the UNLV Boxing Club in 1998. Kobrin became the first chairman of the Boxing Club's Board of Directors and has been instrumental in building local support for the organization.

"On behalf of the UNLV Boxing Club Board of Directors and Coach Skip Kelp, we applaud the efforts of Mr. Eliades and his most generous donation," said Kobrin. "Our boxing club is completely privately funded and donations like this make it possible for UNLV's student-athletes to compete nationally."

The concept for the UNLV Boxing Club was inspired by the U.S. National Collegiate Boxing Association championships in 1997.

"We saw the 1997 NCBA championship on ESPN and thought this would be a great program for UNLV," said Kelp. "We worked with the university to get the club approved and sent out fliers at the beginning of the 1998 fall semester. Sixty male and female students responded, but not all wanted to compete. We expect 20 boxers to return and as many as 50 new students to join the program this fall."

Members of the club were able to participate in their first official competition at Penn State last February, thanks to private financial support arranged by volunteers, Kobrin, Kelp, and members of the club's Board of Directors. After competing in another event at UNR in late February, Kelp took three boxers to the western regional championships at University of California, Berkeley. One UNLV boxer, Mike Kostewka, took a silver medal.

The UNLV boxers went on to the NCBA championships at UNR, where featherweight Manny Libatique, now a junior, took the gold medal and Chris Woywood, a senior, took the silver in the super heavyweight division.

Competitions planned for the 1999-2000 season include matches against the U.S. Air Force Academy, Pennsylvania State University, University of Michigan, and the University of Kentucky.

"We are very encouraged by the results of our first year and are very grateful to Mr. Eliades, Panix Promotions, and the Lennox Lewis organization for establishing the Panos Eliades Endowment Fund for the UNLV Boxing Club," said Kobrin. "This gift is already inspiring others to step forward and contribute to the fund. Also, a boxer of Lennox Lewis' caliber provides a positive role model and inspiration for our young boxers."

Lennox Lewis was born in London, England, in 1965 and immigrated to Canadawith his family in 1997. He represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles where he made the quarterfinals. That experience was followed by a gold medal performance at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Lewis has successfully defended his title against challenges from Henry Akinwande, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs, and, in September 1998, Zeiljko Lavrovic. A challenge fight with Evander Holyfield is tentatively scheduled for November at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.