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Pastimes : Boxing: The Sweet Science -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LPS5 who wrote (1584)	1/23/2001 8:17:17 PM
From: LPS5	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10489

Lewis stands in way of the rise of a Rahman empire by Haymaker Many British fight fans will have responded to the news of Lennox Lewis’ next fight by saying "Hasim who?" and wondering if the champ had started a new bum of the month club. That is not the case. For though Hasim Rahman has neither the ringcraft nor the experience to beat Lewis, he will have the classic puncher’s chance of toppling Britain’s world champion. On 21 April, Lewis will put his WBC and IBF titles on the line, most probably at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, against a man who is not a household name, but is certainly known to the US public after featuring in three of the more notable heavyweight fights of recent years. A native of Baltimore who trains in Washington, Rahman has a record of 34 fights and two losses, 28 of his wins being knockouts or TKOs. He carries the grandiose nickname, The Rock, but that is where all comparisons with the legendary Rocky Marciano start and finish. Rahman is not highly rated by the governing bodies, except the IBF who have him at fourth place in their heavyweight lists. Neither the WBC nor the WBA have him in their top ten, though he is the less-respected WBU’s world champion. It was his fight last year against Corrie Sanders for that title which may have turned out to be the making of Rahman. It was an all-out war, a good old-fashioned tear-up, which ended with Sanders unable to continue beyond the eighth. Afterwards, Rahman admitted he, too, was so exhausted he had almost quit on the stool. Before that, Rahman lost to Oleg Maskaev, of Russia, in a fight that was noted for events outside the ring. Again, it was a long battle of attrition, so there is no doubting the challenger’s courage. He also has a useful left jab, and used it against Maskaev to pile up points before the Russian knocked Rahman clean through the ropes and out for the count in the seventh - the near-17st Rahman crumpled a TV monitor on the way down. Sadly, a mini-riot broke out between fans at ringside and chairs were thrown, one of them hitting an official. His most controversial fight was just over two years ago in Miami when Lewis’ last opponent, the disappointing David Tua, clearly landed a big left hook after the bell for the end of the ninth . Instead of being given five minutes to recover, as per the rules in most states, Rahman was hustled back into the fight a minute later and Tua took full advantage, the referee being forced to stop the fight. The win against Sanders and a subsequent knockout of Frankie Swindell have put Rahman back on track. He appears to have matured and is nearing a heavyweight’s peak at the age of 28. And there is no doubt that he can punch. After a short and undistinguished amateur career, Lewis’s next opponent burst on to the east coast boxing scene with a string of quick knockouts. Indeed, of his first 29 professional fights, 24 ended in stoppages, and he also won a convincing decision over former world heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick in what was the twilight of his career. Rahman has occasionally been accused of not taking his boxing too seriously, and he certainly appears not to be the stereotypical kid from the streets - sources in the US say his father was an engineer, and his brother is in medical school. Judging by most reports, he seems to fight intelligently and has a solid left jab and a very powerful right. At nearly 6ft 3ins and with a long reach of 81ins he is almost a physical match for Lewis, but he has never fought, never mind beaten, anybody of the champion’s class. Lewis should be an easy winner, but Rahman is clearly brave and strong and has a puncher’s chance. If he beats the champion, the Rock will get a bigger reception in Baltimore than Rocky Balboa (alias Sylvester Stallone) ever got in Philadelphia. Edward King