How good could Hasim Rahman have been?

Yes Lewis was a top level fighter

 

Rahman became the best he could have. I don't think there was much more he could have done with his skill level. He was very good and showed it, but lacked consistent great skills every time he fought.

 

I don't think Rahman truly fits into the "coulda been somebody if he tried" department. Generally he was in shape, fought frequently, and became a perennial contender, but he just wasn't truly good enough to win the big fights consitently.

And I don't know why, I don't know why....anymore...oh no...

 

He put them skills in use a few occasions, then they just vanished other times. It was like he forgot what the hell to do. He boxed great against Toney but toward the end of things they always got to a draw because he started well , ended slow.

Also his destruction of Meehan was a good one. Maskaev certainly had his #.

 

Rahman was showcased on a lot of the HBO boxing after dark undercards as he came into title contention. He was with Brooks during that time. I liked what I saw from him. Dont know why he dumped Brooks for Chuck Z?

 

I lived in Vegas for years, and worked out at the Trop and Decatur 24 hr fitness. I always saw Ellerbe and Rachman in there, its like the guy just didn't work out like a boxer. He was always lifting a whole lot of weight, every time I saw him. Squatting ludicrous amounts, repping over 400 on bench, etc. He trained like a strong weight lifter (I won't say like a bodybuilder, he was always lifting really heavy). There is a certain point though were you need to refine your skills, he was already strong enough.

That's all I saw him do. I know it wasn't a boxing gym, but he was in there all the time. He should have spent more time on his boxing, technique, conditioning. This was back around 2004-2006. Floyd was in there a few times with Ellerbe, but he always just ran on the treadmill upstairs and played basketball, I never saw him touch a weight.

 

Emanuel Steward thought he could have been quite good, and a significantly longer-reigning champion with the proper coaching.

 

All what you have to do is watch Rahman vs Sullivan and then you will realize that he was never ever destined to be a significant fighter.

Even in his greatest moment when he laid out another borderline glass chinned fighter like himself he was ready to quit and almost crying because of the little cut he recieved.

Conclusion : he deserves respect for stepping into the ring and for what he accomplished with his limited tools but he was and always will be a yourneyman type fighter, only Lemmie fanatics keep him in high regard.......

 

:nono

Lewis & Rahman had decent chins.

 

Two guys who hit big by knocking off a hall of fame champ like Lewis for Hasim and Hopkins twice for Taylor. Fought a draw in a defense against a defensive hall of famer Toney for Hasim and Wright for Jermian. Two guys whose chins and stamina have cost them fights. Stamina cost Hasim against Tua in the 2nd fight where he won the 1st 4 got gassed and Tua won 4 in a row and the Rahman settled for a draw. Taylor was taking Froch apart and then just ran out of gas and was stopped with less than 15 seconds to go. Chin has let them down where as both fighters have been stopped in big fights. Both are very talented and skilled fighters atleast when Hasim is motivated and in shape that was never an issue with Jermian. But also I feel these are two guys who could have won more of their fights had they stuck to their jab. Taylor beat Hopkins because he had a piston jab that set it all up. He put the jab to work vs Wright. Against Pavlik he ignored it. He had his opponent hurt and threw everything at him and got wild. He punched himself out. He got away from the jab and got KO'd for it. Hasim vs Maskaev in the rematch wasahead early. Behind his jab he was in control the fight and dominate distance. Then he decided to slug and got embarrassed for a 2nd time by Oleg. against Toney he was winning rounds with his jab not falling for Toney's counter off the ropes strategy. Then he began to give up on the jab and fought Toney's fight and walked away with a draw where he could have won. Tua was the same way 1st 4 rounds he peppered Tua with the jab. Next 4 no jab at all though most in part to stamina. sually when you win the 1st 4 rounds you generally win the fight he settled for a draw.

saw this comparison, I agree with a lot of this a guy plagued by stamina and the fact that he had the tools to out jab and outbox guys but lost trading and slugging it out

 

:good

 

LOL, you cannot be serious.....

One is the one and ONLY champ in ANY weight class who got axed not by ONE but by TWO tomatoecans with ONE shot. Fact.

Buster Douglas put on a fight he could never duplicate but even if he would have lost he still fought a great fight while the two clubfighters McCracken and Hasbeen looked like **** until they landed on glass.............

His chin is his MAJOR achilles heel , and yes Grant , Tua washed up Holy/Tyson and all the other never weres are bums and were wayyyyyyyyyyyy past it to land anything significant. Fact.

He was even wobbled in the Rahman rematch by a f***ing jab....................

Rahman ? Lol, not even up for discussion, he got laid out whenver he stepped up or totally turtled up to avoid being Ko'ed.

I expect you to show as proof now some carefully edited you tube clips of both taking "Bombs' lol

 

Lewis and Rahman both had decent chins, as Kalassin said.

Certainly neither had a great chin, as both were susceptible to big hitters making them see stars...but neither had they glass.

Lewis, Rahman, and McCall (and Maskaev, and Tua) all qualify as big hitters.

If either of them truly had a glass chin they'd have a lot more knockout losses on their ledgers, given who they fought.

 

This is what I remember from Rahman, just a busy workhorse. Ironically he would fire Brooks and hire Sullivans trainer and lose to Tua.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g334p895k08&feature=related[/ame]

 

The problem is that neither \Rahman or McCall are big hitters.......they made their punching rep on Lemmie, thats it because they did not lay out ANY other top dog with one shot.

LOl, the irony, both faced another glass afficionado, Oleg the Great, except Rahmans glass was even glassier that the Ruskies.

McCracken could not even wobble the beyond ancient after the 12th puking Holmes .....but what do you expect from a pro sparring punching bag.