Former British champion Mason dies in cycling accident

Former British heavyweight boxing champion Gary Mason, who once fought Lennox Lewis for the European title, has died in a cycling accident at the age of 48.

"It's a terrible shock. He was a very good champion in the era when we had Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis," British Boxing Board of Control general secretary Robert Smith told Reuters on Friday. "He was a huge puncher and a very nice man." Media reports said Mason, who became British heavyweight champion in 1989 and fought 38 times in a 10-year professional career, was killed in a collision with a van in South London on Thursday. His only defeat came in a European title bout against future world champion Lennox Lewis in 1991. A man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and bailed pending further enquiries.