Lennox Lewis has urged a former heavyweight champion to draw the curtain on his professional career.
The British-Canadian legend enjoyed an incredible professional career, which began a short while after he captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1988 games in Seoul.
He entered the professional ranks in the summer of 1989 and would make a name for himself in no time at all. He was declared world heavyweight champion by the WBC in 1992, making several successful defences of his crown before he was beaten by Oliver McCall.
He avenged his loss to McCall in February 1997, picking up the vacant WBC title in the process. Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield a couple of years later to capture the undisputed world heavyweight championship in arguably the best win of his tenure.
Speaking on his X profile, Lewis sent a stern message out to former long-reigning WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, urging the 39-year-old from Alabama to walk away from the sport after suffering back-to-back defeats.
“Deontay Wilder told us before the fight that he would retire if he didn’t win. I think that’s a wise decision.
He’s more than carved out a life in which he can take care of his daughter, so before he suffers any more damage, it’s best to leave the game with ur faculties intact because there’s a LOT more life to live after boxing.”
Wilder makes his return to the ring in June when he clashes with Tyrrell Herndon in Wichita. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has not fought since suffering a crushing knockout defeat to Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang last June, although the 39-year-old intends to fight on and potentially make one final attempt to recapture the world heavyweight championship.
