Rahman sends Lewis crashing

JOHANNESBURG, APRIL 22. American Hasim Rahman pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in heavyweight boxing history here today, defeating undisputed World champion Lennox Lewis with an amazing knockout.

Rahman - a 20-1 underdog earlier this week - sent Lewis crashing to the canvas at the Carnival City big top with a sensational overhead righthand two minutes and 32 seconds into the fifth round.

The 28-year-old from Baltimore started the fight purposefully and never looked as if he would crumble as so many of Lewis's recent opponents have.

Using a solid left jab he consistently made light of his disadvantages in weight, reach and height to bravely trade punches with the WBC and IBF champion. But, with Lewis starting to increase the pace and with Rahman unable to see in his left eye because of blood pouring into it, the champion appeared ready to clinch victory in the fifth round.

Lewis went in for the kill and had Rahman on the ropes but then inexplicably back-tracked across the ring, apparently taunting his struggling opponent.

It was to cost Lewis dear. As he came back off the ropes Rahman launched a massive right hand which arced through Lewis' defence and caught the 35-year-old Briton flush on the chin.

Lewis was pole-axed by the blow and didn't even come close to beating the referee's count, needing to be helped to his feet by Belgian referee Daniel van De Vielde.

Lewis had entered the ring at a career-high weight of 253 pounds, fuelling speculation that he had not trained properly for the bout after spending time during the build-up on set of a Hollywood movie.

But, he insisted his preparation had been sound and said Rahman had caught him with a lucky punch. ``I'd just like to say people were making a big deal about Hasim Rahman coming here three weeks before me and about my fitness. All I can say is that was nothing to do with it,'' Lewis said.

``You have to give Hasim Rahman a lot of credit. He came in tough - he wasn't scared. He was looking to win the fight and throwing lots of good punches - it just so happened that I stepped into one of them.''

``I landed on the canvas pretty hard and hit my head and this is what happens in heavyweight boxing. He got lucky. ''But I felt good during the fight, I felt I was winning the fight but this is what happens in heavyweight boxing. It was a great punch and I went down - I was trying to get my great punch in but he beat me to it.``

''He won this round but I will be back. I will be back, said Lewis, who had a rematch clause inserted in the pre-fight contract in the event of him losing. There's a rematch clause so anytime you're ready, let's get it on,`` said Lewis.

Rahman admitted he had been in trouble when he landed his sensational counter punch, but said the fight had gone perfectly to plan. ''Someone once told me that `luck is being prepared when opportunity presents itself' and I feel we were ready and prepared today,`` Rahman said.

''I couldn't see out of my left eye because blood was starting to pour into it but I just kept swinging because I knew where he was. I caught him with a great punch and that was it,`` he said.

Rahman, who won a legion of admirers here during the build-up for his down-to-earth and humble approach, said he was willing to defend his title in South Africa. ''The people of South Africa have been amazing to me since I arrived. Everybody has been rooting for me. The people have been truly beautiful and I'm simply happy that I could give this to them,`` he said.

Rahman thanks Almighty

''I thank Allah, he was with me,`` said Rahman, a practising Muslim who prays five times a day. ''Lennox Lewis has been a great champion and was a great champion to give me a title shot. It's only fair that I give him one back so I'm ready to give him another chance,`` Rahman said, sidestepping talk of a possible fight with Mike Tyson.

Rahman's win is one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Only twice in recent times has a heavyweight champion been beaten at longer odds, Tyson in 1990 against James `Buster' Douglas, a 42-1 outsider, and Tyson again in 1996 when Evander Holyfield beat him as a 25-1 underdog.

The odds on Rahman had narrowed sharply to around 9-1 at the Carnival City Casino, but a spokesman for the Glitzy resort on the outskirts of Johannesburg would not speculate on whether the casino had suffered a loss on the fight.

The defeat was only the second in Lewis' long career leaving him at 38-2-1. Rahman moved to 35-2 after the victory. Defeat was a bitter humiliation for Lewis who had asked for the fight to be staged in South Africa to emulate his hero Muhammad Ali's famous `Rumble in the Jungle' victory over George Foreman in 1974.

But he had endured an unhappy time since arriving in South Africa, with local promoters and media branding his camp arrogant for arriving late at press conferences. His camp's unpopularity was reflected by the fact that the crowd at Carnival City soon started roaring `Hasim, Hasim' the moment it became apparent Lewis was not going to seal the easy victory he had been expecting.

It was still worse for Lewis when his exit from the ring was greeted by a chorus of boos from the home fans, who had feted Rahman on his exit.

- AFP

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