I honestly believe Hasim takes this, a majority of the time anyway. The crude and ridiculously powerful David Tua won a handful of rounds against him in two fights. Rahman's beatable, I just don't feel Baer has the style to do it. Lennox Lewis took him out with one of the most accurate and devastating shots he ever threw in the ring. Flip side of that, Rahman just about decapitated Lennox in their first fight.
I actually do see your point...I dont want to admit its valid because I think Hasim is garbage but it actually is. I tend to think the extra height and reach of Baer makes this a much different fight to the Tua fight...I lean the other way with Baer winning more times then not but the fact Im giving Rahman a chance at winning, a very good chance of at least taking a couple of fights in a series is suprising to me because I just dont rate Rahman at all. You have convinced me somewhat Russ.
I know Rahman is the bigger man..But I was refering to the fact that Baer is rangier than Tua and that changes the dynamic of the fight between Baer-Rahman. Might not end any better for Baer but it would be a different fight. For a man with very mediocre skills..Hasim has a good jab.
Looks like more or less a slugfest between two crude hitters. Baer was taken out far fewer times, but then the only real hitter he ever fough also happened to be one of the greatest punchers in history, and managed to take him out in 4. Therefore, how do we accurately rate the man's chin? Rahman may well have the better career accomplishments with wins over Lennox Lewis, Corrie Sanders, and a draw with David Tua. But, legacy wins mean little in head to head matchups. That said, I think I'll give Rahman the edge. While he may not be a terribly skilled heavyweight, I think he came up in a division where he had to deal with fighters who were generally less crude, had polished jabs, footwork, defenses, etc. Therefore, he'd be better equipped to deal with a less refined puncher such as Baer. Of course, this is a man who KO'd twice by Oleg Maskaev, so I wouldn't put my money down on him.
A fired up, serious Max Baer, like the version that spanked Max Schmeling, would catch Rahman with a looping right with the necessary torque on it in about the 4th round and GOODBYE ROCK!!!! The birdies would sing, like they did vs. Maskaev and Lewis.
Baer may have been crude, but he wasn't short and fat like Tua. What does Oleg Maskaev do so much better than Baer in your eyes?
I'll go with Baer. Rhaman wasn't active enough, or tough enough to keep Max off forever. I think Baer wins late.
Rahman easily outboxes him until either he is awarded a shutout decision or he gets knocked down/out.