53-year-old former Lennox Lewis conqueror to return to professional boxing.
In boxing, upsets happen. That’s why no matter how obvious a fight may seem, nobody can ever be sure of how it will go.
When a fight is taking place in the heaviest weight with the heaviest hitters, that is especially true. Because with the biggest men, all it takes is one punch.
The heavyweight division has been home to the biggest upsets in boxing history. On Saturday, we very nearly saw another one, with Oleksandr Usyk given a hellish time by kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
One of the greatest heavyweights of all time is Lennox Lewis, the legendary champion who redefined what it means to be a British big man entirely.
The Londoner only suffered three blemishes throughout 44 fights, these being two losses and a draw. Each result was avenged in a rematch, yet his losses stand as two of the biggest shocks in the sport’s history.
Lewis’s first loss was to Oliver McCall, a 1994 reverse that was avenged under three years later. It wouldn’t be until 2001 that the Englishman lost again, this time to Hasim Rahman.
This surprise knockout defeat lost Lewis the unified championship, but he would win it back by rematching Rahman and destroying him with one of the most famous KO victories in boxing.
Lewis would end his career after two more victories over Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko, while Rahman would fight 24 more times, going 15-6-2 (1) and even challenging Wladimir Klitschko for his unified titles.
The American retired in 2014 after being defeated by New Zealand’s multi-sport campaigner Anthony Nansen in the Super Eight Boxing Tournament.
But now, at 53 years old, the former champion is looking to make his professional return to the ring.
Amongst a recent trend of American former heavyweight champions coming back to boxing in their 50s, Rahman is hoping to have his first fight in 12 years on the 14th of July at the ESL Ballpark in Rochester, New York.
Much like other Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall, it appears Rahman is struggling to stay away from the sport. Hey, maybe we will see the two square off with each other. But as of right now, Rahman’s opponent is unconfirmed.
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