After months of speculation over whether or not Lennox Lewis would grant Vitali Klitschko a rematch, the "Emperor of Boxing", announced his retirement from boxing, leaving behind an outstanding record of 41-2-1. Lewis, arguably one of the top ten heavyweights of all time, never really set the boxing world on fire with his cautious boxer-puncher and later plodding style, and though he will might be remembered most for his emphatic knockouts of Andrew Golota, Hasim Rahman, and a fading Mike Tyson, he failed to win over the enthusiasm of American fight fans.

Not that the contemplative, chess-playing Brit didn't have any heart. He showed plenty of it in his bout with Ray Mercer and his messy slugfest in his last pro fight with Klitschko. But what the general public needs in a heavyweight champion is a reckless, colourful knockout machine. Joe Louis. Muhammad Ali. Mike Tyson. In this digital age of disposable heroes, what is needed to capture the short-circuited imagination of the American public is someone like an 'Iron Mike', which ironically, would serve to reintroduce the negative stereotypes of the sport.

I've mentioned in a previous article the top heavyweight prospects; the top four would have to be the Klitschko brothers, Domenick Guinn and Audley Harrison. We've learned two things about the Klitschko brothers- that Vitali can take a punch and Vladamir can't- but if the latter could tighten up his defence and overcome his devestating loss to journeyman Corrie Sanders, it would be hard to imagine him, a strong, technically sound boxer, ever losing. Vitali, on the other hand, has cruder skills than his younger brother, but has already won over much of the American public with his courageous loss to Leiws and his destruction of Canadian tomato can Kirk Johnson last December. He will most likely be the linear heavyweight champion of the world by the fall.

Audley Harrison, another big Brit with an Olympic medal, doesn't look like ha can be as dominant as Lewis and the hype surrounding him seems a bit premature; his last victory exposed some serious flaws. Then there's Domenick "Southern Disaster" Guinn, the man who looked so impressive when he crushed Michael Grant and decisioned Duncan Dokiwari, that it's only a matter of time before he challenges for the title.

Out of all these candidates for the heavyweight throne, Guinn appears to be the only one who can make some noise in the division. He is the only one of the four that is American. He looks cool, is that, along with calm and collective in the ring, is quick and exciting, and can punch like a motherfucker.

I like Domenick Guinn. He is a smallish heavyweight, the type that can really make exciting fights like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield used to do. And if he's brought along at the right pace, he can make people forget about Lennox Lewis and his generation of heavyweights. Lewis' retirement signals the end of an era (although Tyson and Holyfield haven't taken the hint yet).

It's time to bring in the young guns and see what they're made of.