A cool, clinical display of ruthlessly efficient safety-first boxing from Lennox Lewis ended the romantic notion that the Samoan David Tua could ever be heavyweight champion of the world, at least while Lewis continues plying his trade, and also brought closer the next heavyweight mega-fight between Lewis and the former champion Mike Tyson.

Tyson had threatened to watch in person at the Mandalay Bay Hotel arena in Las Vegas. In the event he stayed away, but undoubtedly will have seen a performance which provided further conclusive evidence that Lewis, at 35, remains as good as ever and indisputably world number one.

Although Tyson has yet to confirm officially that he will fight again, the fact that his manager Shelly Finkel was seen in town all week provides the answer. As Finkel said: "I'm not here to get a suntan."

But the problems remain. The fight is as difficult to make as ever because Tyson and Lewis are under contract to rival American television networks. Nevertheless, the will to turn this contest into a reality is certainly there in the Lewis camp, and Tyson's words have suggested he may be ready for one final attempt to recapture former glories.

Speculation that Lewis was moving closer to retirement was dispelled after Saturday's points win when the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation champion said: "I've still got a couple of years left. I'm building my legacy as a heavyweight champion and I'll take on all comers. It depends who the people want. Right now they want Tyson, and you can tell him I have been ready since the Holyfield fight."

After four fights in a year, Lewis is planning a well-deserved break from the sport, while Tua must assess how to inject fresh impetus into his career after a fight that underlined his inadequacies.

The Tua left hook, the punch which some respected pundits believed could negate all Lewis's boxing skills, was landed two or three times in the opening rounds, once sending Lewis reeling backwards towards the ropes, but the threat receded quickly as Lewis settled into a persuasive and insistent rhythm behind his concussive left jab.

Only in the first four rounds did it look even remotely possible that Tua would be able to fulfil his pre-fight boasts, and ultimately he was forced to absorb a boxing masterclass at close quarters.

His promoter Dan Goosen and manager Kevin Barry said his chances were stymied when he took a body shot in the second round which aggravated a rib cartilage injury. As excuses go it was pitifully weak, and to Tua's credit he wanted no part of it, insisting he had done his best and had been beaten by the better man.

His lack of foot speed meant he was rarely able to get into any sort of threatening position; and, when he did, Lewis parried and spoiled wonderfully well. Fighting almost exclusively on the back foot, the Briton was content to rack up round after round on the judges' score cards.

After the explosive wins against Michael Grant and Frans Botha this year, Lewis reverted to a more analytical and technically accomplished style. Some observers felt he should have been able to stop Tua as the squat Samoan became disheartened in the second half of the fight. And maybe he should have, particularly in the ninth round when he unleashed a series of withering combinations which left Tua in disarray.

But Lewis, as ever, is a Jekyll and Hyde character. Threaten his manhood with macho posturing, as Grant, Andrew Golota, Razor Ruddock and others have done, and his response can be frightening. But give him a problem such as an Evander Holyfield or a Tua and the chess player will out. He devises a strategy, pursues it and cares not a jot if the crowd does not approve.

There were jeers from the more cement-headed elements of the audience, probably the American neutrals who seem ever more happy to see fighters knocked senseless rather than simply outboxed. But those who know the sport understood they were witnessing, once again, some of the many facets of the Lewis fighting character. The footwork, which was so inadequate early in his career, was impressive and his choice of punch and accuracy were more than Tua was remotely able to match.

Scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 118-110 from the three judges underlined his near total dominance, and the cards also revealed he won every round from the fifth onwards.

Perhaps the blood and guts brigade would ask for more, and his haughty public manner is increasingly irritating, but Lewis remains a very fine fighter. Now, bring on Tyson.