Former world champion Andrew Lewis has died in his native Guyana after a motorist struck him on his bicycle. He was 44.

Police in the South American country say Lewis was struck Monday on a major road outside the capital. The retired boxer, nicknamed "Six Heads," was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Lewis became the first boxer from Guyana to earn a world title. In 2001, he beat James Page to win the World Boxing Association's welterweight crown in Las Vegas.

Guyana declared a national holiday after the Brooklyn-based Guyanese fighter won. He was given a home in an upscale area of the country, among other prizes.

Lewis lost the title in 2002. He eventually returned to Guyana where he fought regional boxers before retiring for good.