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

To: mr.mark who wrote (3237)	4/20/2001 9:23:24 PM
From: LPS5	Respond to of 10489

Jesus Christ. Message 15697713 And that, added to the tidbits of controversy surrounding Rahman and Lewis' preparation, the fortes' of the two fighters, etc., is what makes this one interesting; compelling enough so for me to pick Rahman, simultaneously recognizing him as a long shot and realizing that more likely than not I'm sabotaging my already-scarred fight record for 2001. That doesn't dilute my pick: Rahman, no round.

To: mr.mark who wrote (3237)	4/21/2001 11:38:14 AM
From: LPS5	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10489

Lewis might be ill-prepared, but he still will beat Rahman According to some accounts, tonight's Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman heavyweight championship fight could resemble James (Buster) Douglas' 1990 upset of Mike Tyson. Lewis will defend his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts against Rahman outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. However, despite signs to the contrary, don't look for another monumental upset. True, Lewis probably has taken Rahman lightly, but that's not surprising. Lewis isn't the type who trains for every opponent like it is a "life or death" fight, which it is not. Much has been made of Lewis' arrival in South Africa less than two weeks before the fight in Brakpan, which has an elevation of 5,200 feet. Before he went to South Africa, Lewis trained in Las Vegas instead of a high-altitude site like Big Bear, Calif. Rahman has been in South Africa for four weeks after training for a month at 4,000 feet in the Catskill Mountains. While he was in Las Vegas, Lewis (36-1-1) dismissed the thought that there was a disadvantage in not going to South Africa sooner. Lewis probably is at a slight disadvantage. He probably would have been better off going to South Africa earlier. However, he is so much better than Rahman he will win the fight. Lewis' weight of 253 pounds suggests he isn't in his best condition. His previous high was 251 pounds for his rematch with Oliver McCall in 1997. Lewis weighed 249 pounds in his most recent fight, a lopsided decision over David Tua on Nov. 11. However, Lewis' weight doesn't have to be ideal to beat Rahman. Lewis was a 20-1 favorite at some sports books last week. He was an 18-1 favorite Friday at the Las Vegas Hilton and a 16-1 favorite at Mandalay Bay. It's not that Rahman can't fight. The Baltimore native is 34-2, losing to Tua and Oleg Maskaev. And that is somewhat misleading because Rahman was leading on points in both fights before he was stopped. The loss to Tua was particularly frustrating. Rahman dominated the 1998 fight until late in the ninth round when Tua buckled his knees with a left hook. Tua then slammed Rahman with a devastating left hook after the bell ended the ninth round. Rahman never recovered, and Tua stopped him in the 10th round. Through the first nine rounds, two judges had Rahman ahead 8-1 and one had it 6-2-1. Tua's terrible showing against Lewis and Maskaev's second-round knockout loss to Lance Whitaker last month have taken some of the luster off Rahman's record. Although Lewis might not be at his best tonight, he has been an underestimated champion. He is big (6 feet 5 inches tall), has a fine jab and is clearly the class of the division. Lewis has been criticized for being too cautious and, to a point, that is true. However, before the Tua fight, Lewis stopped Michael Grant and Frans Botha in the second round in title defenses. Lewis dominated the first fight with Evander Holyfield, winning nine of 12 rounds, though he had to settle for a draw when New Jersey judge Eugenia Williams somehow scored the fight for Holyfield. Lewis doesn't take unnecessary chances in dangerous fights. It's not his style. But he still wins, usually decisively.