Lennox Lewis knows when it is the right time to walk away from the sport.
He first became WBC champion in 1993, before shockingly losing it by second round knockout to Oliver McCall in 1994.
Lewis avenged his defeat to McCall and beat him by fifth round stoppage in 1997 to win back the title, and went on to unify the division, defeating Evander Holyfield to add the IBF and WBA titles.
A huge upset then came when he was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in 2001, but just six months later Lewis avenged his defeat in an immediate rematch to regain his belts.
He ended his career with victories over Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko, and despite numerous calls to come out of retirement in the years since, Lewis has stayed firm.
He has now named a fighter who he thinks should do the same, writing on social media that Deontay Wilder should consider calling time on his career.
“The Bronze Bomber told us before the fight [with Zhilei Zhang] 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 your faculties intact because there’s a lot more life to live after boxing.”
Wilder has suffered four defeats in his last five fights, the most recent of which against Zhilei Zhang by fifth round knockout in June.
