RSSHasim Rahman
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Lawrence to Replace Williams Against Rahman
Former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman of Baltimore, Md. will take on Zuri Lawrence of Wappingers Falls, N.Y. at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa.
Rahman, 44-6-2, was scheduled to fight Sherman Williams but he came down with a very bad sore throat and flu-like symptons earlier this week. Lawrence has a record of 23-12-4. He has three straight wins and a year ago defeated contender Jameel McCline in Hollywood, Ca.
Rahman and Lawrence will weigh in today 3 pm at the Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Hotel, 5th Ave., Reading, Pa. The undercard will weigh at the hotel on Friday, 9 am.
This is an important bout for Rahman who is looking for a major bout in early 2008.
“The Rock has three straight wins, this fight tomorrow night against Zuri Lawrence and then Rock is looking for something major. We have some ideas which will we soon discuss with Bob Arum at Top Rank,” said Steve Nelson, the long-time manager of Rahman.
Rahman, trained by Marshall Kauffman, has looked strong and powerful while training at Kings Gym in Reading, Pa.
“I’ve taken Rock back to the basics - working on his jab, his right hand, right uppercuts, left uppercuts,” said Kauffman. “I am trying to incorporate a better defense for Rock. For example, I want him to roll from punches, catch his left hooks more and get back to continually working on the jab to set up his right hand. The biggest key is to just be consistent.”
Permalink
Monday, November 12, 2007
Williams Hopes to Derail Rahman
Big time boxing returns to the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA on Thursday, November 15th when Top Rank Promotions presents “Downtown Showdown,” featuring former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman against veteran Sherman “The Tank” Williams in a ten round main event.
The fight will be televised nationally on Versus “Fight Night Live,” hosted by Wally Matthews and Nick Charles.
Former champion Hasim Rahman (44-6-2, 35 KOs) is continuing his quest for another world title shot, having won his last three fights (two by knockout) since switching to Reading-based trainer Marshall Kauffman. With a win, Rahman is hoping to gain a shot at IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
In 2001, Rahman captured the undisputed heavyweight title with a spectacular 5th round knockout of Lennox Lewis, only to lose the title in the rematch. Tough ring veteran Sherman Williams (33-10-2, 19 KOs) has won his last eight bouts in a row, including three by knockout. A native of the Bahamas, he has only been stopped once in his career.
Continue reading "Williams Hopes to Derail Rahman"
Monday, October 29, 2007
Rahman Returns on November 15 Against Williams
READING - Big time boxing returns to the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA on Thursday, November 15th when Top Rank Promotions presents “Downtown Showdown,” featuring former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman against veteran Sherman “The Tank” Williams in a ten round main event.
The fight will be televised nationally on Versus “Fight Night Live,” hosted by Wally Matthews and Bob Papa.
Former champion Hasim Rahman (44-6-2, 35 KOs) is continuing his quest for another world title shot, having won his last three fights (two by knockout) since switching to Reading-based trainer Marshall Kauffman. With a win, Rahman is hoping to gain a shot at IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
In 2001, Rahman captured the undisputed heavyweight title with a spectacular 5th round knockout of Lennox Lewis, only to lose the title in the rematch. Tough ring veteran Sherman Williams (33-10-2, 19 KOs) has won his last eight bouts in a row, including three by knockout. A native of the Bahamas, he has only been stopped once in his career.
Continue reading "Rahman Returns on November 15 Against Williams"
Friday, June 08, 2007
Nick Charles to Call Rahman-Sykes
Nick Charles, one of boxing’s finest and most recognizable blow-by-blow announcers has joined Versus and will make his network debut on the next Fight Night on Versus in collaboration with Top Rank Boxing, Thursday, June 14 at 9 p.m. ET from the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York.
Charles, the blow-by-blow voice of Showtime’s Shobox since 2001, replaces Bob Papa and will join Wallace Matthews to form the Versus Fight Night announce team. One of the original members of CNN, Charles began his career in the mid-70’s in Washington D.C. where he served as an anchor for CNN Sports for 21 years and won two Cable Ace Awards. The first fight he covered was the 1976 heavyweight championship bout between Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Young.
“We’re delighted to have someone with the reputation and experience of Nick Charles join our Versus Fight Night team,” said Marc Fein, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for Versus. “Nick has been a ringside fixture at major boxing events and his professionalism and knowledge will provide our fans with great boxing insight during each Fight Night telecast.”
Versus’ June 14 Fight Night will be headlined by a 10-round heavyweight bout pitting former two-time WBC heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman (41-6-2, 33 KOs) against former NABA champion Taurus Sykes (25-3-1, 7 KOs). Rahman first emerged as a heavyweight champion when he knocked out Lennox Lewis in the fifth round of their first clash in 2001; but Lennox took the title back in their rematch.
Also featured will be Kid Diamond (24-1-1, 14 KOs), of Las Vegas in the NABF Lightweight Championship against Mexico City’s Miguel Angel Huerta (24-7-1, 17 KOs). Diamond, whose real name is Almzabek Raiymkulov, is a native of Kyrgystan. In his last fight, September 14, 2006 in Las Vegas, which was televised by Versus, Diamond scored a 7th round TKO against Jairo Ramirez.
Permalink
Monday, February 12, 2007
EEC - February 12, 2007
Not a lot on the whole news front today but there’s still some interesting notes…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- One of Shane Mosley’s next opponents may very well be Miguel Cotto. Cotto’s scheduled June bout against Antonio Margarito is now all but officially cancelled since Margarito signed a contract to face WBO mandatory challenger Paul Williams.
- It seems that Bernard Hopkins is picking his fellow Golden Boy Promotions associate, Oscar De La Hoya to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May…
“Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather will be the first time in history that a fighter’s name gets changed after the fight, from Pretty Boy to Ugly Boy. I’m just telling you how I feel. The opposite of pretty is ugly. There ain’t no in-between. I’m just telling what’s going to happen,” Hopkins said.
- Hasim Rahman has pledged to donate a percentage of the rest of his career earnings to the family of an injured Baltimore detective who was struck by a vehicle driven by Rahman’s brother Karim during a chase from police in which Karim also robbed a convenience store.
Some Good Reads:
The Sweet Science: This Day in History (February 12, 1974)
MaxBoxing: Still Sweet
Permalink
Saturday, January 27, 2007
EEC - January 27, 2007
Saturday! Saturday! Saaaturday! Saturday! Saturday! I’m such a loser…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman is supposedly very close to completing a deal that will have him fighting Sinan Samil Sam in May in an odd location, Turkey…
“We’re in serious negotiations and expect to complete them by next week some time,” Rahman’s manager Steve Nelson said Friday. “We are pretty close to finalizing the deal.”
We reported that Rahman was going to fight Ray Mercer last week but Rahman pulled out of the fight, stating he still has some pre-existing injuries that need to heal up before he steps back into the ring.
“It had nothing to do with money. It had to do with the fact that [Rahman] had some problems and we’re not going to take the fight unless he’s 100 percent,” Nelson said.
- The Rahman-Mercer fight was scheduled to be televised on Versus and now the network is desperately searching for another main event fight to take it’s place. If anyone is interested please get in contact with them…
- One more note on the Rahman-Sam fight: Joe Mesi will be featured on the undercard, taking on George Linberger in a 10 round affair…
- According to the Times Online, Calvin Brock has dropped trainer Tommy Yankello and hired Pernell Whitaker to be his new one…
- Want tickets for Manfredo-Calzaghe? Better act fast…
Tickets for the April 7 Joe Calzaghe/Peter Manfredo Jr. super middleweight title fight (HBO) are going like hotcakes. Promoter Frank Warren announced today that with nine weeks still to go until the opening bell of this transcontinental clash, over 20,000 tickets have already been sold.
Some Good Reads:
Boxing Scene: Jorge “Travieso” Arce: Atop Boxing’s Evil Empire
SI: Heavy deadweight
Permalink
Saturday, January 20, 2007
EEC - January 20, 2007
Vlad Klitschko and Ray Austin are going to clash on March 10th. Is this fight the beginning of the next wave of heavyweight bout signings? We will find out next week…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Is Junior Witter going to stop talking? Honestly, he hasn’t stopped once this week. I normally would go ahead and post away with the gossip but it’s different with Witter. See it’s just like he’s come out of nowhere, trying to steal the spotlight from the other three big fights this weekend.
He’s not even on the same level as the names he is throwing out there and the best thing about this - He has a fight tomorrow night. With his mind elsewhere I hope Witter loses and then cries like a little girl, serves him right for going Hollywood and not focusing on his opponent…
- Joe Frazier’s left hook is still just as fast, I promise…
Smokin’ Joe is still quick with a counterpunch.
Asked if he had any birthday wishes for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier came right back.
“Whose birthday?” he said.
Never mind that Frazier was appearing at Madison Square Garden to help promote a documentary about the 50 greatest moments in Madison Square Garden history and that his first fight with Ali on March 8, 1971, was listed among the top five.
After good-naturedly pointing out that he also deserved birthday greetings for having turned 63 last Friday, Frazier wished Ali, “Happy birthday.”
- It’s offical: Manny Pacquiao will face Injin Chi of South Korea on April 28…
- Reports are saying that the price for the De La Hoya-Mayweather PPV on May 5th may be as much as $54.95.
- Anyone wondering what Hasim Rahman is up to? Here’s the latest…
Former two-time heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman (41-6-2, 33 KOs) will fight once-formidable contender Ray Mercer (34-6-1, 25 KOs) on Feb. 22 (Versus) at Mountaineer Race Track in West Virginia in his first fight since losing his belt via 12th-round knockout to Oleg Maskaev in August. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Rahman was going to fight Mercer rather than go to Germany in March for a proposed bout with former title challenger Luan Krasniqi. Arum said the fight in Germany might be made for late spring if Rahman beats Mercer, who hasn’t fought since Shannon Briggs knocked him out in the seventh round in August 2005.
Some Good Reads:
TSS: Is Boxing More Dangerous Than Football?
FOX Sports: Hatton’s Vegas tango with Urango
MaxBoxing: Compubox Analysis - Hatton vs Urango
Permalink
Friday, November 17, 2006
Who’s da Champ?
Here we go again. Sergei Liakhovich’s loss to Shannon Briggs set the division back about five years. Wladimir Klitschko’s win over Calvin Brock may have solidified his claim as today’s best heavyweight. Wlad has a great jab and is fairly mobile for a man his size. If he can keep you at the end of that jab, he has a very effective overhand right. Just ask Mr. Brock. My question is…Was Wlad that good or was Brock that bad? Three things I don’t like about Wlad. If a fighter does get inside on him, he becomes very ordinary. In his prime Riddick Bowe who was a big man could beat you on the outside or the inside. Bowe was a very good in fighter. Klitschko lacks this trait. Wladimir rarely goes to the body. This is something that Liakhovich does very well. Last but not least, his chin. Corrie Sanders and Brewster parked him and Williamson and Peter had him down. To be a great one, you’ve got to have the whiskers. I’ve always said that if Wlad had Vitali’s chin and heart, he would be something.
Briggs? I have statues at my church that move better then him. Sergei has got a lot of work ahead of him but I think he beats Briggs if there is a rematch. Sergei can improve. I think we saw the best Briggs had to offer. I admire Maskaev’s heart and he can hit but…I’ve seen too many of his fights where he got clocked. It just seems like he has Rahman’s number. Valuev? Granted he’s huge but for a man his size he doesn’t seem to generate a lot of steam on his punches. He’s very predictable too. Jab, jab, chopping right…He doesn’t deviate too much. I think Wladimir would box him silly.
The best of the rest:
Continue reading "Who’s da Champ?"
Permalink
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Could We Have an Undisputed Champion by Sunday Morning?
A win over Calvin Brock would certainly put Wladimir Klitschko on top of the heavyweight world…
Could he be considered the undisputed heavyweight champ, even though there are three other fighters in the division sporting that gold thing around their waist? In my opinion, he already is - a win over Brock Saturday night will just cement it even further.
Let’s take a look at the evidence…
Would everyone be in agreement with me if I said that the only other three that can challenge Klitschko for this title would be the three other champs: Briggs, Valuev, and Maskaev?
Shannon Briggs has been a question mark throughout his career. He always had the potential but never succeeded until now. A rematch with Liakovich is on the horizon. Sergei and his manager are sending a letter of protest to the WBO and actually have a pretty solid case. A rematch could become a reality in the near future…
Nikolai Valuev is a monster of a heavyweight and certainly has the ability to stop anyone in the division. However with the exception of John Ruiz, the level of competition he has faced isn’t that impressive.
It’s going to be interesting to see who Valuev selects as his next opponent…
Oleg Maskaev is probably the closest to Wladimir in terms of who could also be considered the top champion of the four. However Maskaev like the others has his faults. Although he has beaten Hasim Rahman twice in convincing fashion, he has losses to many journeyman heavies.
If Wladimir is victorious two days from now, we may even see a unification bout between the two at some point next year. That depends on Maskaev defeating Peter Okhello in December and whether or not he wants to take up Bernard Hopkins on his challenge.
Maybe I’m wrong, maybe many do regard Wladimir as the undisputed heavyweight champ right now. One thing is for certain, a win on Saturday will silence any doubters…
Permalink
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Peter Gets a Title Shot, Right?
The WBC has previously ruled that the winner of Samuel Peter-James Toney would fight the winner of Oleg Maskaev-Hasim Rahman for the WBC Heavyweight Championship. That means that Peter will face Maskaev for the belt at some point in the near future, right? As always, there are ways that Maskaev could get out of this…
Peter looking for title fight after win
The only way Maskaev does not face Peter in his very next bout is if he vacates his title or he stages a non-title bout. If Maskaev vacates the title, Peter would face the highest rated contender, and that would probably be Sinan Samil Sam, since the third ranked contender Calvin Brock is facing Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF heavyweight title on November 11 in Madison Square Garden.
There could always be a bypass of the WBC title if another champion steps up to the plate, but that would not be in the immediate future. Nikolai Valuev is defending his WBA heavyweight title against Monte Barrett in October, both WBO heavyweight champion Sergei Liakhovich and IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko are due to battle on separate dates in November.