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| November 17, 2001 | Saturday | Ramazan 1, 1422 |
Rahman and Lewis ready for real rumble
LAS VEGAS (Nevada), Nov 16: After months of ugly legal wrangling and public wrestling, Hasim Rahman and Lennox Lewis will take their genuine dislike into the ring on Saturday to decide if one of them is a legitimate force or the other a spent one.
Ever since Rahman (35-2) stripped Lewis of his World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) crowns with a thundering right in South Africa last April, the Briton (38-2) has labelled his American opponent as a one-punch wonder enjoying the last few seconds of his 15 minutes of fame.
Rahman, meanwhile, has been equally dismissive, claiming Lewis is a boxer past his prime and predicts the rematch will end in another knockout that will send the 36-year-old Briton into retirement.
“Lennox Lewis has said if he loses, he will retire,” said Rahman. “I’m going to hold him to his word.
“I’m looking to beat this man, then I don’t want to see Lennox Lewis ever again in my life.”
The buildup to Saturday’s showdown has been punctuated by a steady stream of disdainful diatribes from both camps, underscoring a very real dislike that has transcended the usual heavyweight hype.
Tensions escalated when Lewis was forced to go to court to secure a rematch and boiling point was reached in August when Rahman triggered a brawl on the set of an ESPN television show promoting the fight by using the word “gay” in referring to the former champion.
“I hope he’s angry, that’s my whole objective, to make him angry,” said Rahman, admitting he has been making a conscious effort to agitate Lewis. “If he’s angry, my plan worked.
“He’s the veteran and he should be prepared for this.
“Trash-talking is something I’ve done all my life and he can’t respond to it and, if I get him out of the script, he’s lost.”
Lewis was initially reluctant to concede any credit to Rahman and blamed his shock defeat in South Africa on himself.
But his preparations for the rematch indicate he has developed some grudging respect for his 29-year-old opponent.
Clearly Lewis is not taking Rahman as lightly as he did in their first meeting. He arrived late in South Africa so he could film a cameo appearance with Julia Roberts in the remake of Hollywood movie Oceans 11.
This time, Lewis spent nearly two months bunkered down at a camp in Poconos and the results were on full display at Thursday’s weigh-in when he tipped the scales at a trim 246 pounds, seven pounds lighter than he was in South Africa.
Lewis also said he had learned his lesson from the last fight, adding that Rahman would not be given the same opportunity to land another “lucky shot”.
“How I got hit, coming off the ropes, my body turned to the side, anyone throwing a punch like that would have knocked me out,” said Lewis. “I know in this fight I won’t get hit like that.
“My main goal is to go in there and do what I do best. I’m a pugilist specialist.
“Whatever Rahman brings, I can answer it. I’ve seen it all before.
“I’ve been in this game a long time and I know how to readjust.
“This time I’ll be 100 percent focused.”
Even tucked away in the wooded hills outside New York, Lewis’s preparations were not without unwanted distractions, in particular from his former long-time manager Frank Maloney.
Maloney’s sacking appeared to be only a minor distraction for Lewis, though, who has changed allegiances as easily as others change CDs.
Lewis is resilient, having grown up in Jamaica, fought in two Olympics for Canada, won Olympic gold in 1988 and spent the majority of his professional career representing Britain.
The Briton has also insisted Rahman’s trash-talking has had no affect on him, saying it is he who has the champion rattled.
“I know he’s upset because I got the penthouse and probably a number of different things,” said Lewis, a slight 3-1 favourite to reclaim his titles.
“He’s been saying stuff but I don’t understand that talk. He just came into the game and I’ve been in the game a long time and getting under people’s skin is my speciality.
“We’re going into a fight.
“If we get in the same room, there’s going to be a fight. He’s got attitude, I got attitude and we’re fighters so we’ll take it to the next level. I’m willing to fight every time but I wouldn’t say that’s getting under my skin.”
Lewis has fought once before to reclaim a title, having avenged a 1994 loss to Oliver McCall who will be fighting on Saturday’s undercard.—Reuters
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