LONDON -- Lennox Lewis will be stripped of his WBC championship belt if he fails to meet a deadline to sign for a rematch with Vitali Klitschko, the council announced Sunday.

The World Boxing Council said it will declare the belt vacant if Lewis does not agree to the fight by March 15. Lewis has not fought since his controversial sixth-round win over Klitschko last June.

The Ukrainian was leading on the scorecards when the referee deemed him unfit to continue because of cuts.

The clamor for a rematch could delay the 38-year-old Lewis' projected retirement. His mother, Violet, and many close friends have advised him to retire, but Klitschko represents unfinished business.

Klitschko's raised profile in the United States after the first fight also would guarantee Lewis a hefty final payoff of some 15 million pounds.

If Lewis is stripped, Klitschko would fight for the vacant belt, probably against former WBO champion Corrie Sanders of South Africa.