IF, as expected, Lennox Lewis today announces his retirement from boxing at the age of 38, he will be the first reigning heavyweight champion of the world to quit since Rocky Marciano in 1956.

Lewis, however, has probably taken a pay day too many to immortalise himself in the sport, to be considered by followers of boxing as worthy of being mentioned alongside the likes of Marciano, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis.

The man, who won boxing gold for Canada at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 before becoming Britain's first major world heavyweight champion of the last century, should have called it a day 20 months ago after he had pummelled Mike Tyson to an eight-round defeat in the Pyramid Arena, Memphis.

At that point he had nothing left to prove, having beaten every credible challenger out there, Evander Holyfield, Francois Botha, Andrew Golota, David Tua, and Hasim Rahman.

After Tyson, the Lewis record read 43 fights and 40 victories. He had won and regained the title twice, rolling over his only two conquerors, Oliver McCall and Rahman, in re-matches. That would have been the ideal time to bow out and join the list of true heavyweight greats.

However, a new kid was approaching the block in the shape of Ukraine's Vitali Klitschko, and a year after his impressive job on the once fearsome Tyson, Lewis felt compelled to go for another golden pay out.

The pair met in Los Angeles in June and, although Lewis retained the WBC title with a sixth-round stoppage, the result caused more

controversy than conviction.

Klitschko had clearly outfought and outboxed the champion, and was

comfortably ahead on the judges' scorecards before he was stopped because of horrific cuts.

In victory, Lewis was really a loser. The man who had so competently dealt with Tyson was judged by the public to be a champion who had taken one step too many, a shot fighter.

From the minute his hand was raised in victory in Los Angeles, the man who wore his crown with great style and dignity was under pressure to give Klitschko a re-match. No other opponent would do, because this was a return fight everyone wanted.

Only last week the WBC stepped up the pressure on the champion, telling him he had just 30 days to agree terms with Klitschko from February 1, or the fight would go out to purse bids on March 15. In fact, the WBC has said that if Lewis did not meet Klitschko, he would be stripped of the title.

Along the way, Lewis gave us some great moments. He became champion by default in 1992 when Riddick Bowe tossed the WBC belt into a London dustbin rather than meet the Briton.

He won the title for real in May, 1993, when he outpointed Tony Tucker in Las Vegas and then made successful defences against Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson. A blip against McCall at Wembley in 1994 - he was caught and knocked out with a sucker punch '' was ''corrected'' when he humiliated the American in Las Vegas in February, 1997.

A draw against Holyfield in New York at the beginning of 1999 was followed by a points defeat of the same man at the end of the same year in Las Vegas, making Lewis the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Two years later, Lewis was stopped in five rounds in South Africa by Rahman, a fight for which he probably did not prepare properly, but he again regained the title by stopping the American in Vegas seven months later.

Then came Tyson and Klitschko. A last hurrah, it would appear, is not on the cards.

Trainer Emanuel Steward, one of the most respected in the business, was keen to see Lewis hand out another defeat to the Ukranian before retiring, but last weekend the end was clearly in sight when he said: ''If you hesitate about making up your mind, that is not good. If he wants to go back up the mountain for this one final war, yes, but if he doesn't, my suggestion is just to leave and rest on your laurels.''

It would appear that the motivation or the appetite for the punishing grind to prepare for a major fight are no longer there for Lewis. If that is indeed the case, the decision to quit is the right one. Boxing is too dangerous a game for any other decision to be taken.

Lewis, born Lennox Claudius Lewis, in London's east end in 1965 before emigrating to Canada, has been a magnificent ambassador for Britain and boxing,

a worthy and splendid champion, but the question will always be asked - would he have beaten Klitschko second time around?

lApart from Marciano and Lewis, the only other man to retire as reigning heavyweight champion was Gene Tunney in 1928.

Lewis factfile

1965 Born Lennox Claudius Lewis, September 2, London

1974 Aged nine, taken to live in Kitchener, in Ontario, Canada.

1978 Aged 13, starts boxing at Kitchener Police Club.

1982 Aged 17, spars with a boy called Mike Tyson.

1984 Represents Canada in Los Angeles Olympic Games.

1986 Wins Commonwealth Games super-heavyweight gold medal in Edinburgh.

1988 Wins super-heavyweight gold at Seoul Olympics, beating American Riddick Bowe in the final. Returns to London.

1989 In his professional debut at the Albert Hall, Lewis knocks out Al Malcolm in second round.

1991 Beats Gary Mason to win British and European titles.

1992 Becomes WBC champion after Bowe throws belt in a bin.

1993 Stops Frank Bruno in the seventh round in Cardiff.

1994 Loses title to Oliver McCall in second round at Wembley.

1997 In February, regains title when McCall appears to lose interest in the fifth round. In July, he retains WBC title when fellow Briton Henry Akinwande is disqualified for repeated holding.

1999 In March, unification fight in Las Vegas with WBA and IBF champion Evander Holyfield ends in a draw. Lewis claims he was robbed, but wins unanimous points decision in the November rematch. Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

2000 Loses WBA belt in court after agreeing to fight Michael Grant. Makes short work of the fight, winning inside two rounds.

2001 In April, dramatically loses his WBC and IBF titles when a mighty right hand from Hasim Rahman catches him flush on the chin and he is counted out in the fifth round. In August, the pair scuffle at press conference to promote the rematch. On November 6, Lewis terminates his 11-year partnership with manager Frank Maloney. Eleven days later, he regains WBC, IBF and IBO titles in Vegas, knocking out Rahman in the fourth round.

2002 In January, Lewis and Tyson scuffle at a New York press conference. In Memphis in June, Lewis stops Tyson in the eighth round of a one-sided contest.

2003 Lewis retains his WBC title when Vitali Klitschko is stopped with cuts in the sixth round.