Lewis arrives home to meet old ghost to test Buffalo power

Lewis reclaimed the vacant WBC title three years later in a farcical re-match in Las Vegas, when McCall stopped fighting in the fifth round and was then disqualified before breaking into tears. But that London defeat is the only one to blot on Lewis’s fight record of 36 wins — including 28 knock-outs — and one draw.

Maybe not, but Botha, stripped of his IBF crown five years ago for failing a drugs test, gave former undisputed champion Mike Tyson a run for his money last year before getting careless. Tyson nailed him with a big right in the fifth round after Botha had dictated the early rounds.

And Botha believes he can take advantage of any complacency should Lewis feel all he has to do is turn up to retain his crown. “Lennox Lewis hasn’t felt the Buffalo’s power yet,” sai Dbotha, with just two defeats in 44 fights.

“I’ve prepared for 12 rounds, I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m going back to America with his titles.”

However, while Botha sees himself as a dangerous underdog, Lewis is supremely confident. “I’ve got too much talent for Frans Botha,” declared Lewis, who knocked out American Michael Grant in the second round of his last fight in New York in April before surrending his WBA belt.

Lewis was stripped of his WBA title by a New York judge after refusing to fight their number one contender Henry Akinwande. Lewis’s coach Emanuel Steward believes his man is holding all the aces. “Lennox is in the best shape of his career, and there is no heavyweight out there to touch him," claimed Steward.

Ironically Steward replaced Pepe Corea as Lewis’ trainer after plotting the Briton’s only defeat by McCall in 1994.

The 12,000 tickets available for the fight have been slow to sell with punters fearing another farce following Tyson’s 38-second blow-out of Lou Savarese in Glasgow last month.

But even if he makes light work in slaying the `Buffalo’ tomorrow night, Lewis can rewrite history and bury the ghost of 94′ — even if it proves unpopular with the paying public.