Lennox Lewis, the former world heavyweight champion, has played down reports that a £70 million offer to fight Vitali Klitschko would tempt him out of retirement.

Interviewed in Las Vegas, where he watched Ricky Hatton defeat Paulie Malignaggi this morning, the 43-year-old Briton, was quoting as saying a £100m purse would persuade him to fight Klitschko, the Russian who holds the WBC heavyweight title.

However, he told the BBC this morning that the likelihood of him returning to the ring was slim. "Nobody has made any offers, I've been there and done that," he said. "I don't think there is any offer that would get me back in the ring."

Lewis quit boxing after retaining his WBC title against Klitschko in 2003. The Russian said recently that he would be interested in a re-match, but Lewis is not interested. "I've accomplished all my goals," he said. "Vladimir Klitscho has me on his mind, which is great but I don't see myself coming back, no.

"The amount quoted is a lot of money so a lot of people would be looking at me and saying 'Are you mad?'. Money doesn't really inspire me. It's all about the glory. What glory is there coming back and facing a man I've already beaten?

"The reasons he's calling me back is for selfish reasons and he needs to create his own legacy and go and fight all the necessary people that he needs to fight."