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There will be a distinct South African flavour when colourful American journeyman Hasim Rahman challenges Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko for his IBF, IBO and WBO world heavyweight titles in Mannheim, Germany, on Saturday (Dec 13), which will be televised live by SuperSport.
Klitschko has twice fought against South Africans, while Rahman also has a South African scalp under his belt and has previously fought in this country, albeit against a foreign opponent.
In March 2003, ironically in Hannover, Germany, Klitschko embarrassingly lost his WBO title to our own Corrie Sanders in a “fight” named by the influential Ring Magazine as the Upset of the Year.
On that occasion, the now-retired Sanders dropped the Ukrainian four times – twice in the first round and twice in the second – before the bout was halted just 27 seconds into Round 2.
Prior to that, Klitschko defended his WBO title against US-based South African Frans “White Buffalo” Botha in Stuttgart, Germany, in March 2002.
Klitschko won every round before knocking Botha down with a left hook early in the eighth stanza, from which the South African did not recover.
The other South African link to Saturday’s showdown involves Rahman.
Rebuilding his ring career after a series of setbacks – not all boxing-related, either --Rahman strung together three wins at the turn of the millennium, including one in May 2000 over Sanders, and moved back up in the rankings.
And in April 2001, Rahman earned a shot at WBC, WBA and IBF champ Lennox Lewis --the bout held at Carnival City in Brakpan on the East Rand.
Lewis and Rahman traded mighty blows for five rounds before Rahman, a 20-1 underdog, stunned the Briton with a one-punch knockout, as Rahman became only the third Muslim, after Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, to hold a world heavyweight title.
And so on to this Saturday.
Rahman was selected as a replacement for Alexander Povetkin of Russia, who pulled out of the fight because of an ankle injury. The 36-year-old American has a 45-6 record (36 KOs), with two draws.
Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) is generally considered the world’s top current heavyweight. He has been IBF champion for two-and-a-half years and he reclaimed the WBO belt last February with a one-sided decision over Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden.
“This is his last chance to be a world champion again,” Klitschko said of Rahman this week. “I expect a real challenge. If he comes such a long way to fight the best man, he wants to win naturally.”
Live coverage of the tournament will start at 22:00 on SS1 and CSN. The main bout is expected to commence at around midnight.
Klitschko has twice fought against South Africans, while Rahman also has a South African scalp under his belt and has previously fought in this country, albeit against a foreign opponent.
In March 2003, ironically in Hannover, Germany, Klitschko embarrassingly lost his WBO title to our own Corrie Sanders in a “fight” named by the influential Ring Magazine as the Upset of the Year.
On that occasion, the now-retired Sanders dropped the Ukrainian four times – twice in the first round and twice in the second – before the bout was halted just 27 seconds into Round 2.
Prior to that, Klitschko defended his WBO title against US-based South African Frans “White Buffalo” Botha in Stuttgart, Germany, in March 2002.
Klitschko won every round before knocking Botha down with a left hook early in the eighth stanza, from which the South African did not recover.
The other South African link to Saturday’s showdown involves Rahman.
Rebuilding his ring career after a series of setbacks – not all boxing-related, either --Rahman strung together three wins at the turn of the millennium, including one in May 2000 over Sanders, and moved back up in the rankings.
And in April 2001, Rahman earned a shot at WBC, WBA and IBF champ Lennox Lewis --the bout held at Carnival City in Brakpan on the East Rand.
Lewis and Rahman traded mighty blows for five rounds before Rahman, a 20-1 underdog, stunned the Briton with a one-punch knockout, as Rahman became only the third Muslim, after Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, to hold a world heavyweight title.
And so on to this Saturday.
Rahman was selected as a replacement for Alexander Povetkin of Russia, who pulled out of the fight because of an ankle injury. The 36-year-old American has a 45-6 record (36 KOs), with two draws.
Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) is generally considered the world’s top current heavyweight. He has been IBF champion for two-and-a-half years and he reclaimed the WBO belt last February with a one-sided decision over Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden.
“This is his last chance to be a world champion again,” Klitschko said of Rahman this week. “I expect a real challenge. If he comes such a long way to fight the best man, he wants to win naturally.”
Live coverage of the tournament will start at 22:00 on SS1 and CSN. The main bout is expected to commence at around midnight.
