School me on Hasim Rahman...

Athletic, strong but slow HW with good offensive and decent defensive skills, though predictable at times.

Power is about 8 of 10, nice jab, average chin.

Never looked like a guy who can beat Lennox Lewis yet he did it and won the lineal HW title

 

Hassim Rahman was a 2 time HW champion who will probably be better remembered as a mid level contender...

Rahman fought EVERY big name HW from the late 90s through 2010 or so, with mixed results.

His first defeat came at the hands of David Tua via a late punch in a fight he was winning on the cards. He went on to have two brutal losses at the hands of Oleg Maskeav in two action packed bouts, both times getting KOd through the ropes

Rahman shocked the world in 2000 with his KO of Lennox Lewis, only to be brutally KOd in the immediate rematch.

Rahman was also the victim of Holyfield headbutts that resulted in one of the worst cranial swellings you would ever see, resulting in the fight being stopped.

Rahman had Vitali Klitschko pull out of their fight on 5 different occasions, and eventually retire for 4 years rather than fighting him, resulting in Rahman winning the vacant belt to become a 2 time HW Champion.

Rahman was always in shape and seemed to never completely die, always securing more big fights despite his many losses.

Rahman was a staple of the HW division , much greater than the one hit wonder many historians label him as

He could also bench 500 pounds

 

Notable Wins: Corrie Sander, Lennox Lewis, Al 'Ice' Cole, Kali Meehan, Jessie Ferguson

Notable Losses: Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Oleg Maskaev (x2), Wladimir Klitschko

The win over Lennox Lewis is what always gets the ink when it comes to telling the story of his career. But what I think was equally noteworthy was his mid-career resurgence, where he defied the odds and won a portion of the title back by beating Monte Barrett.

After handing the title back to Lewis, Rahman went into a steep decline. If he had won 1 or 2 big fights after that loss, he could have pressed his case to fight Lewis for a third time as a tie-breaker. In retrospect, a rubber match seems unnecessary because Lewis is so clearly superior, but I assure you, it was a topic of hot discussion, expected to take place after Lewis vs. Tyson.

But Rahman blew his chance by showing up out of shape and going winless aginst Holyfield, Tua, and Ruiz. He eventually rebounded by linking up with a new trainer, slimming down, and getting 4 tune-up bouts under his belt. He pummelled Kali Meehan to earn a #1 contender spot. Meehan had just dragged Lamon Brewster to the depths of hell, so beating Meehan so convincingly was a huge statement. Rahman then outpointed Barrett and became a 2 time champ.

Rahman again handed his title over, this time to Maskaev. He tried the same comeback strategy as before, but this time couldn't reclaim his mojo. He should have retired after getting a good payday against Wladimir

 

I thought he deserved to beat James Toney in their first fight, but at the same time, the referee let Rahman land a couple dozen blatant kidney punches, so maybe it balances out.

He also beat Trevor Berbick early in his career.

The guy had tons of talent but struggled when it came to work ethic and in-ring focus. He let several winnable fights slip through his fingers.

 

A true great lost in an era of greats.

 

A good solid contender but far from an ATG.

 

Almost got sent out of the ring x2 by Maskaev

 

I did not know that info about Rahman & Vitali. Did the latter really duck him that bad?
Were any of those pull outs legitimate, like injuries?
Why would Klitchko so fear this one guy, considering everyone else he fought?

 

Injuries - he had surgery before, during and after the Rahman saga.

 

Could have been an interesting fight.

 

Nice win over Sanders too ..

 

Yes vitali did pull out on several occasions, more than 3 for sure.
They were all supposedly injury based.
Eventually Vitali just flat out retired.
Im not saying he was ducking Rahman, but it is interesting that Vitali didnt come back until 2009, at the point that Rahman's career was essentially over, and magically never had any injury troubles the rest of career.

At the time Vitali retired in 2005, Rahmam still had a reputation as a guy who could bang, based off the Lewis performance a few years prior. While not a great boxer, he was far more athletic than Vitali's most recent victims at the time, Corey Sanders, Danny Williams, and a 300 pound balloon of Kirk Johnson

 

Street enforcer for a big drug gang who had a big rep for his street fighting skills befor he ever put a pair of gloves on. It did eventually lead up to him trying his hand at boxing

 

He was pretty average.

Lewis took him lightly and paid the price.

When you don't have an impenetrable chin, it is not a good idea to drop your hands and mock your opponent.