Lennox Lewis has until March 1 to decide whether he will defend his heavyweight title in a rematch with Vitali Klitschko.

The World Boxing Council said if Lewis decides not to fight Klitschko, he will be stripped of his title. The top two contenders, Klitschko and Corrie Sanders, would then fight for the vacant crown.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman also gave Lewis and Klitschko the month of February to agree on terms for a fight. If terms cannot be agreed upon, the fight would go to a purse bid March 15.

Lewis has been secretive about his plans, hinting that he may retire instead of fighting Klitschko in a rematch of their bloody first fight last June in Los Angeles. Klitschko was leading on all three scorecards after six rounds, but lost when the fight was stopped on cuts.

Lewis trainer Emanuel Steward said earlier this month he expected Lewis to fight Klitschko and had told his staff members to be prepared to go to training camp.

The 38-year-old Lewis has fought only twice in the last 26 months.