By David Field, PA Sport Boxing Correspondent, New York
Lennox Lewis is four months short of his 35th birthday but trainer Emanuel Steward believes his champion can fight off the march of Father Time and rule the heavyweight scene for another three years.
Lewis has been a world title holder since pre-Christmas 1992, apart from a 29-month period between 1994-1997, and the lack of top rate contenders in the queue for the major titles adds a significant solidarity to his position at the head of boxing's premier division.
While Steward is always ready to applaud the qualities of Lewis, he believes the slowdown in the supply line of genuine talent gives his man an even stronger hold on sport's richest prize.
He faces the best of the younger bunch of prospects in Michael Grant at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and, after that, the leading men in the WBC and IBF divisions, John Ruiz and David Tua, would not be fancied to end Lewis's reign.
Steward said: "Based on what I see, Lennox can remain at the top for another three years - if he wants to. There's no one coming up, no promising fighters coming through.
"In the past there's been fighters like Joe Frazier and George Foreman coming through after they'd won Olympic gold medals.
"But in the 1996 Olympics there was nothing, and I don't see anything coming through from the next Olympics. There was always contenders coming through in the past but not at the moment".
True, in the Muhammad Ali era - arguably the toughest in the history of the division - there were men of the calibre of Frazier, Foreman, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, Earnie Shavers and Ron Lyle, dangerous practicioners capable of making a serious bid for the hot seat.
Grant, though, insists "everyone has a timescale", and the moment arrives when youth must be served.
He is 27, but has been boxing only seven years - and heavyweights tend to mature later than the smaller men.
Lewis will thus be giving away seven years to his latest challenger, who intends to step on the throttle from the opening bell, and believes he can punch his way through the wide experience gap.
The successful college sportsman from Norristown, Pennsylvania, will take heart from the fact that there have been many well-chronicled instances in big time boxing of the rising young man suddenly catching up with the established fancied fighter.
"I wasn't on a waiting list for this chance, I fought myself into this position," said Grant, winner of all his 31 fights.
"Lewis has got more experience but I've got patience. When I came into boxing I just thought about the sport. My whole aim was to learn about boxing not think about the title, and that takes patience alone.
"Speed is the factor, and pressure will be an advantage against Lennox. He may think he can get me out in the early rounds.
"He's not accustomed to the pressure, and it's going to be hard for him to adapt. You can't teach somebody how to deal with pressure.
"I'm at my peak but my belief is strong and I'm going to walk away victorious. The fight itself is more important than the titles.
A fighter is a fighter, you are focused on the man in from of you. When the fight starts, it's just me and the other man. When I get tagged, I just try to get back at the person who tagged me. I rely on my instincts.
"I can deal with the pressure when the kitchen gets hot. My job is to impose my will on him. By being the right size, with a long reach my punches are going to rain in and they are going to be tough to avoid.
"I'm ready to go the 12 rounds, but I like the sound of 10, that's been good to me".
Grant has won his last three fights in the 10th - a points win over prospective Mike Tyson opponent, Lou Savarese, and stoppage of Ahmad Abdin and Andrew Golota.
It is doubtful if a day has gone past since the New York match was made without somebody reminding the 6ft 7in challenger that Golota almost cut him down to size last November, flooring Grant twice before retiring in the 10th while ahead of on the judges' cards.
Lewis, it cannot be forgotten, powered Golota to defeat inside a round in October, 1997.
But the champion says: "It will not make me over-confident, I don't look at it that way. What I do look at is styles - they make fights. I don't really look at past performances, I just look at the performance which is ahead of me".
Grant raised some eyebrows yesterday by sparring two rounds, unusual so close to a fight of this magnitude.
At this stage it is normally fitness and speed work, and punching nothing more venomous than the trainer's hand pads.
His trainer Don Turner did it to keep Grant sharp and his mind focused, which he will certainly need to be if Lewis' numbing right hand gets within striking range.
And Turner has been drumming home the message to Grant that he must keep his hands up. He has tended to hold them low, as Golota found out five months ago. Lewis, at ringside for that fight, will have taken note.