i think this would have been a interesting matchup if they met in their primes. both physically strong fighters, ruddock the more devastating but rahman a formidable boxer as well as puncher. razor im sure a huge favorite, but rahman could win this fight judging by his wins over tua, sanders and lewis.
Yup. Rahman lived off one punch against Lennox, whereas Ruddock had lights out power in that left hook. He'd get to Rahman early, in my opinion.
Depends which Rahman. The Rahman that Tommy Brooks had would have been quite competitive with Ruddock. When Rahman came in shape he was a completely different fighter. Ruddock had good power, but somewhat limited with one punch.
One of Ruddock's guided missiles would have found the less than reliable chin of Mr. Rahman, who's vaunted skills didn't help him much against guys like Maskaev, for instance. Ruddock ko 3 Rahman.
I dont think it matters. Even the best version of Rachman gets caught by Ruddock. Not only was The Smash a devestating punch, but Ruddock delivered it quite fast. The best version of Rachman might win a few rounds, but Razor would eventually land, and when he does... Rachman never had the chin to take it.
Interesting story about Rahman though and thats why I said depends which Rahman showed up. He was Tommy Brooks first project on his own. He had Rahman in shape and working at a high rate. Rahman was always somewhat limited, but Brooks brought out the best in him. They had a falling out because Rahman didnt want to work as hard as Brooks wanted him to, and Rahman left Brooks right before the first Tua fight. The rest is history as Rahman was inconsistent with his weight and performances usually fading late in fights. Ruddock did have the great equalizer in that uppercut, but the best Rahman is competitive with a one armed fighter.