Fall guys have left us with a torn canvas

Not only do those two defeats leave the publishers of the Yearbook in a quandary over whom to picture next year, but in a wider context British boxing is having to come to terms with losing the two men who were internationally-recognised standard-bearers.

Nelson and Calzaghe, who puts his title on the line against unbeaten German Mario Veit in Cardiff on Saturday, deserve respect, but the plain truth is that neither of them boast the character or charisma of Lewis and Hamed.

"We never had two stars as bright as that pair, certainly not at the same time," said Simon Block, the Board's general secretary. Block was ringside in both Las Vegas and Johannesburg to see British boxing lose its main headline generators. "There is every chance that they will come back," he said.

However, there is also every chance that they won't. Boxing's senior national administrator considered the point, but then insisted: "We have got plenty of young stars coming up. Our two brightest stars shine a little less than before, but that doesn't mean to say that others won't take their place."

It is true that prospects exist, such as Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison, the exciting Richard Hatton, battler Michael Brodie and young talent Alex Arthur. But it will take time for them to come through, and that worries former world champion Duke McKenzie.

The first British boxer to win world titles at three different weights and now a respected voice in broadcasting and ringside as an officer of the Board, McKenzie believes British boxing has been dealt a blow from which it will take years to recover.

He admitted: "I don't think we have had a worse 14 days. I don't really know where British boxing will go from here in terms of showmanship and characters, because those attributes are what the sport needs to keep the public interested.

"Loud as he was, British boxing needed Hamed. You always knew he would sound off about this, that and the other. But because of his character, Hamed managed to turn a boxing match into a major event.

"On the flipside of the coin you had Lennox: the quiet one, the nice guy, someone people could look up to and say 'you know what, he is a good role model'.

"But now they are both gone. It is sad, when you think about it. Quite sad."

McKenzie's tone betrays his fear that neither man will again enjoy the stature they were once accorded, and which gave British boxing such a boost.

He said: "I don't see Hamed coming back, at least not against Barrera. His aura of invincibility has gone now, as it did with Mike Tyson.

"Tyson was never quite the same after he lost for the first time to James 'Buster' Douglas. The same applies to Hamed. Fighters have found a way to beat him. It is no longer a case of getting in front of him and having a punch-up. It is about boxing and using your brain, as Barrera has just shown.

"So far as Lewis is concerned, he will never go down as a modern great. He was just bordering on it. He had taken on allcomers and was just waiting to beat that last golden carrot, Tyson, to be called a legend.

"That is never going to happen now. It is all so sad."

And for those interested in the future of British boxing, it is a matter of great concern.

Lewis v Rahman - in pictures