If wilder fought prime Sanders today everyone would hate.

That's because Rahman had been blasted out the previous fight and was on a mission to prove that he belonged in the HW division. Let's not forget, Rahman was challenging for Sanders' title. I'd say that Rahman did very well in this fight, he took some huge shots and was always game. In Rahman's next fight he KO'd Lewis. Rahman at his best was no joke. And yes, Sanders gassed in this fight. A natural consequence of his doing no roadwork whatsoever in his training camp.

 

I remember reading here once that Lennox Lewis ducked both Wlad and Sanders because stylistically they were all wrong for him. Can anyone confirm?

 

Sanders said that Lennox personally told him that his camp had had "concerns" about facing him. Now, that's obviously not a "duck" as such, but it does show that Lennox did not take him lightly.

 

I would have loved to see prime Sanders do a number on poor Deontay. :bbb

 

:thumbsup

 

lennox didn't take him at all, because sanders wasn't available, not being good enough to top contention when prime - destroyed by rahman, who himself wasn't even a top contender..

but in the K bros era retired shot2shyte corrie almost unified the title and wiped out wladdie in seconds easily.

 

Absurd. Sanders was a bigger name than a lot of Lewis' resume. I think simply that his risk/reward ratio was wrong. As for Rahman, you're right, he wasn't a top contender ... he was HW champion after he KTFO Lewis.

 

No way would Wilder survive against Sanders.

People say he was shot and old, but he looked good that night he beat Wlad.

 

It's easy to forget that timeline, but worth remembering. There was a fight in between Sanders and Lewis, but the spirit of the post still stands.

Hasim had consistency issues, but at his best, was certainly no joke. Considering how late he came to the game, it's particularly impressive how much he was able to accomplish. He also had a high level of competition with a wide range of styles fought. He wasn't an ATG, but he was a classic example of a world class heavy with the ability to spring an upset he shouldn't have.

 

Agreed. I was rooting for Sanders, but couldn't help but become a bit of a fan of Rahman after that one. Hasim walked through fire for that win, and you gotta have respect for a fighter that demonstrates that sort of guts. He was a big hitter in his own right, and maybe if he'd had a bit more of an amateur career he'd have been more consistent.