Few boxers manage to walk away from the sport without being lured back at least once on the promise of big money.
No matter how successful a boxer’s career has been, calling it a day can be the hardest decision of all. Many boxers believe they still have what it takes to win or forget the losses which led them to hang up their gloves in the first place.
Only a select few men from the modern era have ever gone unbeaten in their whole careers, and they include Floyd Mayweather, Joe Calzaghe. Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis only suffered two defeats as a professional – against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, but avenged both of those losses in rematches, making him one of the few boxers to retire having beat every man he ever faced.
Until Oleksandr Usyk repeated the feat in May, Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion some 25 years ago.
He retired after a stoppage win over Vitali Klitschko in 2003 and has never before been tempted back.
However, in light of his former victim Mike Tyson taking on YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul in November in a fully sanctioned fight that will appear on both men’s records, Lewis has hinted that could change despite him being 58 years old.
Speaking to FOX 29 Philadelphia, he was confident his former foe would take the victory and was then asked if he would like to take on the winner.
“That’s a good question. I hope that Tyson saves a little bit of Jake Paul for me.”
This fight was first scheduled for July but an ulcer flare-up for Tyson delayed things. Since then, Paul has got back in the ring and secured another knockout win, this time over former bare-knuckle boxer and former UFC fighter Mike Perry.
