By Roy Billington

When his boxing career took a turn for the worse, Lenroy Thompson decided it was time to become Awesome.

The story of Lenroy Thompson should act as a cautionary tale to all up-and-coming athletes. In February of 2012, Thompson received perhaps the worst news an athlete could receive, he was banned for 12 months and in turn would miss out on participating at his first Olympic games.

Thompson’s suspension marked the opening chapter of a bizarre series of events for one of the most talented amateur boxers in the USA. It all began with tardiness, Thompson missed 3 USADA doping tests in 18 months because he failed to notify the anti-doping agency of his whereabouts, which meant that when they turned up he was nowhere to be found. While Thompson denied any wrongdoings, as per their guidelines, USADA issued the southpaw with a long term ban.


The following year saw the figurative death of Lenroy Thompson. During his suspension, Thompson found solace in fast food as fighters he had previously beaten turned out at the Olympic games. Alcohol numbed the heavyweight as he began to pile on the pounds in his absence from the sport that he loved so dearly. In his hour of despair, Thompson vowed to give his all to boxing and as his suspension was lifted, the age of Awesome was born.

The first step to redemption for Lenroy Thompson was a name change. Thompson legally changed his name to Cam F. Awesome in a measure to prevent people from associating the fighter with his suspicious prior suspension. The next step for Awesome was to rededicate his life to the art of pugilism, Awesome adopted a healthy vegan diet and came back to the sport with a renewed sense of determination.

Awesome reflected on his suspension days in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal:

I wouldn’t train as hard as I could, I loved eating and I’d just see how much I could get away with and still win”, Awesome added that his favourite meal at the time was:“five McDoubles and three McChickens.

The man that entered the ring following the suspension was very different to the man that left it. 

In the 3 years following his suspension, Awesome has won 3 super-heavyweight national titles and the national team trials in the  201lb division. It is not only in the ring where Awesome has thrived, the hulking heavyweight has become somewhat of an internet icon. 

Following his close-decision loss at the Pan Am games last summer, Awesome took to the mic in an interview which bordered on absurdity and included Awesome declaring  himself the “Taylor Swift of Boxing.”

Since his USADA violation, Awesome has rebounded remarkably, becoming one of the members of the current crop of amateur fighters to transcend the traditional boxing bubble. Skillswise, Awesome has adopted a much more frenetic style since losing the excess body weight. Through his effective counters and impressive footwork, Awesome has put himself in pole position to take home a medal in Rio at this year’s Olympics.

USADA’s rigorous testing and their demand that they must know where an athlete will be for 3 months at a time, may seem strict but, it is necessary to keep the sport clean. Young boxers can look to the case of Cam Awesome as a reminder of what can go wrong if you fail to be upfront about your whereabouts. 

Awesome is now obsessed with correctly filing his paperwork and has even offered USADA an easier way to keep tabs on him by offering to wear an ankle bracelet, though it is unclear if the organisation will take him up on that offer.

Cam F. Awesome is in pole position to take a spot as part of Team USA for this year’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.