Lennox Lewis conqueror McCall fights at 61 after weak PPV sales reportedly sank October bout

The former WBC heavyweight champion has fought three times in the last two years, and Bloody Elbow says a defeat to Jeremiah Williams would likely mean retirement.

Oliver McCall, the man who stopped Lennox Lewis to win the WBC heavyweight title in 1994, returns to the ring at 61 on Tuesday night after weighing in at 234.5lbs for his fight with Jeremiah Williams at Country Box 45 in Nashville.

McCall was meant to box Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi in October, but that fight was cancelled. Bloody Elbow reported the event failed to sell enough pay-per-views, partly because fans did not feel comfortable with a 61-year-old returning to the ring.

He has fought three times in the last two years, winning twice and drawing once. Williams, whose record stands at 19-14-2, came in "in much better shape", according to Bloody Elbow, which said a defeat would likely mean retirement for McCall and could bring more criticism of his continued activity.

McCall knocked Lewis down with a counter right hand in the second round in London in 1994, and the fight was stopped when Lewis got up unsteady on his feet. McCall then defended the title against Larry Holmes in Las Vegas. Frank Bruno took it from him on a unanimous decision at Wembley Stadium in 1995.

The rematch with Lewis, in Las Vegas in February 1997, ended with McCall refusing to fight in the fourth and fifth rounds and beginning to cry, forcing the referee to stop it and give Lewis the win. "I saw his lips started to quiver and I thought, 'My God, is he crying?'" referee Mills Lane said afterwards.

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