While it wasn’t an upset of the Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas variety, which sent a seismic shockwave through sport as a whole, Hasim Rahman’s thunderous right hand certainly left the boxing world in a wobble.
On this day, April 22, 2001, (yes, 25 years ago!) the Baltimore boxer inflicted an epic knockout loss on Lennox Lewis. Reigning as the unified WBC and IBF champion, undoubtedly the best heavyweight on the planet, Lewis had not tasted defeat in seven years.
14 fights, 13 wins, one (controversial) draw with Evander Holyfield, later avenged. Lennox was the main man and, in some quarters, installed as a 20-1 favourite to reinforce that status against Rahman.
Billed, appropriately as it turned out, as ‘Thunder in Africa’, Lewis arrived in South Africa later than expected, having been filming scenes for the movie Ocean’s 11.
While some experts said this would not pose an issue (Rahman had been in the region since the end of March), others reckoned the altitude would be a problem if not adequately addressed.
“No problem”, assured Lennox Lewis when quizzed on South African preparation
Lennox dismissed this, pointing to high-altitude encounters against the likes of Henry Akinwande that he’d successfully fought through in the past. Lewis’ decision to leave things late, combined with his weight, suggested that he had taken the Rahman challenge lightly.
Or not so lightly, more to the point. Lennox scaled a career-high 253.5lbs. Only in his last-ever contest, versus Vitali Klitschko in 2003, would he weigh more (256).
Boxing in the early hours at Carnival City, with the times adjusted to accommodate international television demands, the thin Johannesburg air, along with Rahman’s fists, was about to wreak havoc.
“The form book usually holds up, but not always,” John Rawling wrote in his prescient BBC preview a week before the contest.
“Remember Tokyo 1990, when Mike Tyson was considered unbeatable against 44-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas? The supposedly impossible happened and Lewis should be warned.”
With the British champion blowing hard by the fifth round, Rahman landed a thumping right hand on Lewis’ chin, sending him crashing to the canvas and out. It was a shock toppling. Avoidable? Yes, both in hindsight and in advance, many were warning of the pitfalls of Lennox’s underprepared approach.
“I felt fine in there. I was going about my work nice and comfortably and there was no way Hasim Rahman could beat me,” Lewis said later.
“This is just what happens in heavyweight boxing. He hit me with a good shot.”
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Talking of good shots, when the pair reconvened seven months later, Lewis left nothing to chance, delivering the kind of locked-in, professional performance he should have had in the first place.
Speaking on UK TV in between their two contests, Lewis said that Rahman simply had his belts on loan. During the buildup, Lennox admitted that mistakes had been made prior to their first meeting and that he had learned his lesson.
It was true. Three months before the return fixture, the pair became embroiled in a pre-fight brawl in the ESPN studios. Tensions were suitably raised ahead of the Mandalay Bay rumble.
On the night, Lewis took out his anger in the form of a right hand of his own. The finishing punch was thrown off the back of a missed left hook, landing flush on the chin, depositing a flailing Rahman, who just wasn’t fast enough to block the blow, heavily on the canvas.
The American stuttered and stumbled, but could not regain his footing. Emanuel Steward rushed into the ring to congratulate Lewis, who beat his chest in defiance. “It’s over, Lennox Lewis has revenge!” boomed Jim Lampley on commentary.
Hasim Rahman’s moment in the South African sun was over and normal service resumed in the heavyweight division.
