By Eric Thomas: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) will be taking on arguably his toughest opponent in years on Saturday night against former IBF/WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) in a 12-round title bout at SAP-Arena, Mannheim, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Rahman, 36, isn’t being given much of a chance by many boxing experts and fans alike, but I think he’s a real live underdog due to his powerful right hand and has a real chance of stopping Wladimir if he can connect with something big.
Hasim Rahman
Did Wladimir Klitschko Make a Mistake By Choosing Hasim Rahman As His Next Opponent?
By Dan Ambrose: It seems as if IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) is about to go back in a time machine, all the way back to March 2003 when he was flattened in the 2nd round by hard punching Corrie Sanders. This time, instead of Sanders, it will be former IBF/WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) who Klitschko will be facing on December 13th at the SAP-Arena, in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Wladimir’s original opponent, the smallish 6’1″, light-hitting Alexander Povetkin, injured his foot while training in Russia, making it necessary for Klitschko to find a replacement opponent suitable enough to interest the cable companies showing the fight. Rather than facing someone with less hand speed, someone like Oleg Maskaev, Wladimir has selected former champion Rahman, who with his excellent power and long reach, has a good chance at finding Wladimir’s soft chin and taking him out.
Rahman Not Ducking Haye
By Aaron Klein: Contrary to reports about British heavyweight David Haye (21-0, 20 KOs) not having any fighters willing to fight him for his upcoming but on October 11th, former IBF/WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) is reportedly very interested in fighting Haye, according to comments made by Rahman’s manager Steve Nelson to fightnews. Nelson recently fired back a rebuttal to Haye, who said that no one wants to fight him, remarking that Rahman does want to fight Haye, and that the two have been working on a deal for some months now, although no offers have been made by Haye’s people, according to the article by Bob Caico of fightnews.
This is interesting boxing news, because it seems to contradict the complaints made by Haye. If this turns out to be true, it would seem rather peculiar for Haye to say that there is no one willing to fight him, making one wonder why he would utter something like this unless he had an ulterior motive. Rahman, now 35, probably isn’t nearly the same fighter he was years ago when he shocked then heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis by knocking him out in the 4th in November 2001 to win the heavyweight titles, but Rahman still can punch with just about as much power as he did then.
Rahman-Toney Bout Ruled a No-decision
By Eric Thomas: In a bit of news that comes to no surprise to many boxing fans who saw the fight, the heavyweight bout between James Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) and Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) has changed from a 3rd round TKO win for Toney to a “no-decision” by the California State Athletic Commission on Monday. The fight was stopped in the 3rd round after an accidental clash of heads caused a small cut over the left eye of Rahman, apparently affecting his vision. After the round was over, Rahman complained to the ringside doctor that he couldn’t see well out of his left eye due to the cut. The fight was then stopped. However, the fight never reached the 4th round, and for that reason it made it likely that the fight ruling would be overturned on appeal.
Although the decision must make Rahman happy, it still leaves him far from satisfied because he was doing well in the fight up until the point of the clash of heads in the third round. It’s difficult to say whether or not he could have continued with his momentum for the remainder of the bout, but he looked on his way to victory at that early stage of the fight. With this verdict overturned, Rahman is reportedly looking at other options of potential fights, such as a bout with David Haye, the former cruiserweight champion. Due to the star appeal of Haye, this would obviously be a much more intriguing fight than a third with Toney, which would probably interest few boxing fans at this point.
Toney Defeats Rahman By 3rd Round TKO
By William MacKay: Although the outcome was less than satisfying for most people, including 39 year-old heavyweight James Toney (71-6, 44 KOs), he wasn’t about to walk away from his 3rd round TKO win last night over two-time heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-7-2, 36 KOs) at the Pechanga Resort & Casino, in Temecula, California. The fight ended in less than desirable circumstances, however, with Rahman clashing head with Toney early in the 3rd round, causing a small cut over the left eye of Rahman. The seemed to really bother Rahman, who kept pawing at the cut for the remainder of the round.
Up to this point, Toney had been trailing in the fight, but with Rahman now almost totally focused on his small cut, Toney began to tee-off on him with right hands to the head, hitting him often until the end of the round. Rahman fired back with his own shots but he was wildly throwing them, and missing badly more often than not.
Toney-Rahman: Should The Loser Retire?
Photo credit: Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions – By Jim Dower: Tonight, heavyweights Hasim Rahman (45-6-3, 36 KOs) and James Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) fight for the little known WBO NABO heavyweight title at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula. The title is not important, in this case, but what is important is that one of them moves on with his boxing career, while the other finds himself in a bad situation with retirement perhaps the best option.
Both fighters are well up there in age, with Toney, 39, leading the way and the soon to be 36 year-old Rahman not far behind. Both fighters seem to have been forgotten by the general boxing public, rarely mentioned on boxing websites, or discussed in television broadcasts when the subject of top heavyweights is brought up. Rahman has twice won and lost heavyweight titles, most recently losing his title in a sensational 12th round knockout to Oleg Maskaev in August 2006. As for Toney, he blew his only shot at a title after beating John Ruiz in April 2005, he later failed a post-fight drug test, causing the fight to be ruled a no-contest.
Rahman vs. Toney: The Geezers Battle It Out
By Jason Kim: Aging heavyweights James Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) and Hasim Rahman (45-6-3, 36 KOs) battle it out on Wednesday night in a scheduled 12-round bout for the vacant WBO NABO heavyweight title at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula. Both fighters are nearing the end of their boxing careers, with Toney, 39, at the edge having lost two out of his last four fights with one of them being a draw to Rahman and the other a split decision victory over Danny Batchelder in his last fight.
It’s been over a year since Toney last fought, and during that time he’s slipped from the top 15. He looked weak and weight drained in his last fight with Batchelder in May 2007. After the bout, Toney tested positive for a banned substance and was subsequently suspended for a year, although it was later reduced to six months. The time off probably won’t have helped Toney, who was having problems dealing with the better heavyweights like Peter and Rahman. In both cases, Toney seemed too small to compete with either of them and his lack of size prevented him from being able to take the fight to them. Of course, him being out of shape didn’t help either. Toney looked to be 25-40 lbs overweight in both fights and the fat appeared to slow him down considerably over the course of the bouts.
Toney vs Rahman on Wednesday
On July 16th, 2008, the boxing world will have the rematch of a lifetime – literally. The long-awaited “Last Chance” for Hasim “Rock” Rahman (45-6-3, 36 KOs) to be considered a heavyweight contender as he once again faces the living legend James “Lights Out” Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA..
Rahman vs. Toney II In July
By Nate Anderson: According to boxingtalk, former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) will be fighting a title elimination bout on July 16th, which will be shown live on ESPN. Both Rahman and Toney are getting up there in age, with Rahman now 35 and Toney a ripe 39, so this may turn out to be a last ditch attempt for either of them to get a title shot. However, you can never say never and as bad as the current heavyweight scene is, even the loser may eventually find his way back into a title shot if only because of the lack of talent and big named fighters in the division.
Toney, 39, previously faced Rahman in March 2006, fighting for Rahman’s then WBC heavyweight title, with the fight turning out to be a controversial draw that left both fighters unsatisfied. Most people felt that Rahman had won the fight given his superior work rate during the fight. However, it was all for naught as the fight was ultimately ruled a 12-round draw. Rahman would turn around and his heavyweight title some five months later in a 12th round TKO loss to Oleg Maskaev in August 2006. Since that time, Rahman has beaten a string of mostly 3nd tier fighters, Taurus Sykes, Dicky Ryan, Cerrone Fox and most recently Zuri Lawrence, leaving many people to wonder when Rahman would eventually step it up against top level opposition once again.
Rahman Stops Lawrence
Former heavyweight title holder Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) stopped Zuri Lawrence in the 10th last night at the Sovereign Center, Reading, in Pennsylvania. Rahman, struggled badly in the bout, and the fight was close to even in the final round when Rahman connected with a big right hand that hurt Lawrence. Rahman then went right hand crazy, driving a badly hurt Lawrence to the ropes where referee Gary Rosato stopped the fight at 2:20 of the 10th round. It wasn’t an easy fight for Rahman, who was cut over both eyes during the course of the bout.