Lennox Lewis's trainer, Emanuel Steward, feels time is running out for the former world heavyweight champion to regain his place at the top of the sport.
Steward told a court in New York that the 35-year-old former champion was "beginning to slip a little bit" and had suffered "more wear and tear than most boxers".
Steward appeared in a US District Court as a witness for Lewis, who is suing Hasim Rahman, the WBC and IBF world heavyweight champion, to force him to honour a rematch clause in the contract for their original fight which Rahman won in South Africa.
"Everything is a little more different when you're 35," Steward told the court.
"At his age, he's beginning to slip a little bit. We'll probably see a little more of the decline in the coming years.
"Losing weight becomes a problem now because he's a big man. That's why he has to stay active."
Mike Tyson's manager, Shelly Finkel, and Rahman's former promoter, Cedric Kushner, also testified.
Tyson is suing Rahman claiming he should be the next mandatory opponent under WBC rules and Kushner is suing for breach of contract.
AFP