Hasim Rahman – Continues Comeback
At the age of 37, a decade after his biological prime, heavyweight contender Hasim Rahman continues to stake out his place in the division after a fourth round TKO this week of Shannon Miller in Niagara Falls. Rahman stood with a puffy right eye after the match but otherwise looked content and fortunate to be able to keep competing.
“This is just what I needed to let me know that if Hasim Rahman of old wants to resurface, I’ve got to do a lot more,” he contemplated. “I’ve got to get back to basics first.”
For a fighter of 37, a former world champion, but one that’s always had to deal with thick criticism and opinion that he may be a second-rate fighter, what are the basics?
Rahman took last year off only to return to the ring in March. He’s piled up two fights and wins now in three months, and doesn’t want to slow down the pace.
The end of the fight came when Rahman landed a left jab that set up a strong right, flooring his opponent in front of his corner. As Miller tried to get up, the corner asked Fitch to stop the fight after seeing their man go down for the fourth time of the night.
Later, outside of his locker room, Miller noted that Rahman was “the hardest puncher” he’d ever faced.
Rahman seemed content, but also rather unimpressed with himself. He complained of partial blindness due to a thumb or punch in the eye, something that he will undoubtedly have to watch out for should he decide to continue (he’s always suffered from severe cuts and swelling).
Miller showed determination in seeking to continue even though everything was stacked against his favour, and was even able to tag Rahman a few times unexpectedly, which kept the former champion honest and guarded.
“I would never have gotten hit with any shots if I had listened to my corner,” Rahman urged, noting he might have been a bit overconfident. “Fortunately, this didn’t upset anything. I’m willing to fight next month and I’ll be 100 percent better.”
The Miller victory marks Rahman’s second since his seven round TKO loss to current heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko in December of 2008. In March, Rahman inaugurated his official comeback with a TKO win over Clinton Boldridge. Ideally he would be happy to get another shot against Klitschko as early as next year, though many factors will come into play to authenticate that wish, such as marketability, Rahman’s performance until then, and Klitschko’s willingness to sign on.
With seven accumulated losses now in 47 bouts, Rahman sits at about a loss every six fights on average, and personifies an ongoing argument in boxing: when should a fighter pack it up, and when is their value depleted (regardless of what they may or may not think)?
As the history of the sport has shown, fighters often yearn to continue fighting long after the spark has gone out, but such desires can often be diametrically opposed to the fighter’s well-being. At the same time, if there is money to be made in a fighter’s return to the ring, for the fighter and the promoter, he will likely be put back into the ring.
The very fact that Rahman may get a title shot in the near future highlights something many analysts have been complaining about for years, namely a lack of talent in the heavyweight division. Increasingly bigger fighters are looking sloppier and sloppier, and many continue to see Rahman as an extension rather than a reduction of this phenomenon. Perhaps if Rahman wants to earn respect as one of the world’s greatest fighters, he should worry less about a title and more about silencing this claim.