By Jakc Welsh
RAHMAN BACK WITH BIGGER “ROCK”
It certainly isn’t in poor taste the way a huge delegation of boxing fans have jumped on the band wagon of Hasim “The Rock” Rahman as the newest bomber in the heavyweight division, where he reigned briefly in 2001.
Here was a 32-year-old Baltimorian, who was overdue with devastating power, jumping up to steal Don King’s Rendezvous with Destiny on a four-round knockout of Australia’s Kali Meehan Nov.13 in Madison Square Garden.
The 12-rounder, televised by HBO-PPV, was a WBC/WBA/IBF/ WBO heavyweight elimination and it now belongs to Rahman, who has taken a giant step in fighting his way back to the world crown he won from and lost back to Lennox Lewis in a seven-months span in 2001.
Steve Nelson, a Baltimore attorney who manages Rahman, said the former champion is now an mandatory challenger who has one selection with negotiations due to start in 30-days.
Team Rahman obviously will be at
ringside Dec.11 when Vitali Klitschko risks his WBC heavyweight crown against England’s Danny Williams at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Williams, a former Brit-ish titleholder, earned the title shot July11 in Louisville, Ky., when he stopped Mike Tyson, once undisputed heavyweight ruler.
“The Rock” wants to be in action as
soon as possible and that could be in early spring.and he’d probably like to get the winner of Klitschko-Williams and definitely John Ruiz, WBA champion, promoted by Don King.
“We are confident Rahman, with his resurging power, will dominate the big boy division and revive the kind of past glory the heavyweights sorely need,” Nelson reflected.
Rahman, who turned pro on Mar.12, 1999 and now has a 11-year resume of 40-5-1, 33 KOs, doesn’t want to fight for more three years and then enjoy a suburban life with his wife Crystal, and their three children, Jasim, Jr.,12, Sharif, 8, and Amirah, 6.
“There is no question, I am much smarter and more mature in and out of the ring. I’ve also learned not to take anything for granted and maintain a sharp focus, remembering any heavyweight has a shot if you are careless”, The Rock” admitted he didn’t like all aspects of his early training.
“If I trained100 percent for a fight, I’d be ready to go at the first bell, but whenever i was taking a short cut, I’d wish I had one or two more weeks. I Iiked to play chess and bowling, but it didn’t bother my fighting. I was only down three times, but I always got up. Just ask Oleg Maskaev, Corrie Sanders, and Lennox Lewis.”
Rahman isn’t letting the plus and minus of his adventures with Lennox Lewis, Britain’s lauded Emperor, never let his other interest, become a distraction.
With only two losses in 33 fights, “The Rock” picked up three more wins and it got him the spot as long-shot on Apr.22 in South Africa.
There was much speculation that the multi-champion had been staying overtime in Las Vegas where he had a cameo role in a remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” and sparring with champ Wladimir Klitschko. The senior Klitschko did not arrive until 10 days before the fight in suburban Johannesburg and beside making up for lost time in training, the native of Jamaica had to cope with 6,000 feet above sea level.
If Lewis, a gold medalist in the 1988 Korea Olympics, had a tendency to take Rahman lightly, he would pay a big price.
Once the contracts were signed, “The Rock” went deep in motivation,spending two intense months before the fight at the storied Catskill Mountains in New York. And if that environment wasn’t
enough in the full honing of great world champions, Rahman arrived in Johanesburg 30 days before the crown was on the line, to give himself the limit in acclimating his body to the South African climate.
The unsung Maryland pride at 6’ 2 1/2, would not be detracted from his road game by the 6’6” Lewis, who was in his15th world title bout and hadn’t lost since Sept.24,1994 when spoiler Oliver McCall knocked him out with a right hand in London.
Lewis and Rahman went to work at 5:30 a.m., South African time, to accommodate American television. Lennox used his long jab, tying to set up his potent right but Rahman played it cool with his counters to build a points lead in the early rounds.
Lewis took a right with a slight smile but it was a facade. Rahman then stepped in with an exploding right that echoed round the world, as the challenger caught the heralded champion flush. Lennox dropped like an anvil and sprawled under the ropes as referee Daniel van der Wiele of Belgium counted Lewis out.
United Kingdom media called “it an upset”, but the way the sleeper trained three hard months for this chance, team Rahman knew from the opening bell, the
ending was legit.
“There was never any doubt about the outcome. What I delivered was one punch. I was never nervous from the day this fight was made. I knew Lewis was going to try and dictate the pace but I said that wasn’t going to happen,” said a happy Rahman.
Rematches in boxing of this quality are hard to come by, but it is no surprise Rahman and Lewis did it again within seven months.
From an unsung contender, “The Rock” became a super celebrity and one of his first ventures as a lifetime Muslim was taking his children to Mecca, his religion’s holy land.
“This is the manner in which I am raising my children, so they will have these values instilled in them very day,” said the brand-new heavyweight champion.
As a free agent, Rahman found himself in heavy demand as major networks and promoters went to war with their bidding. Don King wound up with the Baltimore prize’s services when he financially out-hustled HBO and Showtime, which reportedly went as high as $17 million to televise Rahman’s fights.
When “The Rock” heard there was a clause in the contract for an immediate rematch, he gave an appropriate answer.
“Look, I’m going to make well over $10 million to fight Lennox again. Am I supposed to be upset over that?”
The rematch was set for Nov.17, 2001 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Both fighters changed their strategy but only Rahman’s would come a cropper.
Even today the one-time college basketball player admits he “was way over-confident” in the second fight
“Looking back, I wasn’t ready mentally or physically regarding the way I trained. Stupid, yes but felt I could throw one punch--that right hand-- and it would be over.”
Missing for Rahman was the swarming, pressing style that enabled him to work inside Lewis’ towering defense.
The versatile former champ more successful with his switch, noting “The Rock” had his arms open after throwing a left hook that created an avenue for the enemy’s right hand.
In the fourth round and, though knowing Rahman was looking for rights, the taller Lewis fired a lazy left jab and then arched a right hand that caught the target on the side of the head.
For an instant Rahman was airborne and landed on his back at mid-ring, struggling to rise as referee Joe Cortez
counted him out.
In the next two years, “The Rock” had that freak “bump-on-the-head” loss to Evander Holyfield, drew with David Tua looking like the winner, and got trapped in a brawl with John “No Style” Ruiz, WBA heavyweight champion.
Nelson never lost faith in the engaging Rahman, truly one of the nicest guys in boxing, but he wondered if the ex champion had lost faith in himself.
“When Rahman beat Lewis the first time, loads of fans were wild about that sensational win. Then when he lost the return, there were a lot of people who immediately wrote him off. “Rock” knew that and he also knew he was the only one who could dig himself out of that hole by going back to his roots.”
Maybe he didn’t know it at the time but the revision was shaping up when “The Rock” faced Al “Ice” Cole, who was moving up as a heavyweight, last Mar.11 in Baltimore.
“This was in front of the locals and I figured it would be an early kayo. I had to struggle hard to get even a10-round decision. I thought I’d go home and give the people a sensational knockout and I let my people down. I was embarrassed more than ever before,” Rahman recalled.
“I knew then I had to dedicate myself to this sport from that point on. I just knew I couldn’t go out that way because I have the talent to go all way. I never worked like I should have. Now I know about being ready, staying ready.”
When the come-backing Rahman used six rounds to score three knockouts in less than four months, King tapped him
for his big eight heavyweights show in
November.
“I told Don to get me the guy who really beat Lamon Brewster. Kali Meehan almost put Brewster to sleep but he won’t do that to me,” predicted “The Rock.
Swarming like a loose bulldozer, Rahman never let the tough Aussie off the ropes and had him out on his feet with unanswered salvos of six, nine, and 12 punches.
(Jack Welsh, a syndicated columnist headquartered in Las Vegas, and a regular contributor to Ringsports.com and other national sports publications.)
