Lewis advises Calzaghe to retire

Lewis has not stepped back into the ring since retiring in 2003

Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has urged Joe Calzaghe to retire after the Welshman's emphatic points victory over Roy Jones Jr.

Calzaghe, 36, has now extended his unbeaten record to 46 fights.

And Lewis told BBC 5 Live's Sportsweek: "He's beaten everybody there is to beat and doesn't have anything else to prove, so I think he should retire."

However, Calzaghe's former manager Frank Warren believed the Newbridge fighter would postpone plans to retire.

"Before the fight he was saying it was his last fight and now he's saying he's not sure," said Warren, whose 12-year association with Calzaghe ended after the southpaw's victory over Bernard Hopkins in April.

"I believe he'll fight on. I would like to see him retire, he's got nothing else to prove and he's without doubt the greatest super-middleweight of all time.

"For me, he's the best British boxer since the war. His record speaks for itself.

"They say that fighters are the last people to know when it's time to give up but I think they're the last ones to admit it and that's what he needs to do."

In the lead-up to the Jones fight Calzaghe had been adamant that the bout would be his last, but because of the nature of his victory there have been suggestions of a rematch with the American in Cardiff.

Hopkins, who Calzaghe defeated in Las Vegas, and Mikkel Kessler, whom he beat in 2007, are among a small list of potential opponents for Calzaghe if he chooses to continue.

But British heavyweight David Haye hoped the Welshman would follow Lewis, who retired as reigning champion back in 2004.

BEN DIRS BLOG Calzaghe would do well to remember there are rarely any fairytale finishes in boxing and walk away now

"Very rarely do you get a fighter with his record retiring at the top," said England's former cruiserweight champion who will step up to heavyweight to fight Monte Barrett on 15 November.

"I think Lennox Lewis showed you can walk away from the game and stay away from it and get out on top.

"It depends on how much money he's got. If he's got enough money to comfortably have the lifestyle he wants then he would retire and if he hasn't then he'll only be fighting for the money, which a lot of boxers do later on in their career.

"Fingers crossed he's tucked a bit away and he can have a nice lifestyle with his family."