Heavyweight shocker: Rahman knocks out Lewis (2025)

BRAKPAN, South Africa – Hasim Rahman's knockout of Lennox Lewis did more than install a new heavyweight champion. Itderailed perhaps the most lucrative fight in boxing history.

Rahman flattened Lewis with a stunning right hand near the endof the fifth round early Sunday to capture the WBC and IBF titles.

	Lennox Lewis couldn't recover in the fifth round, but said afterwards "He (Rahman) won't beat me twice."

"I kept my prayers going and did all my training. And I came upwith one punch," Rahman said. "One punch."

That blow effectively killed any chance of a Lewis bout againstMike Tyson – potentially a $100 million showdown – happeninganytime soon.

"No Lewis-Tyson! No Lewis-Tyson!" Rahman yelled in the ringafter the fight.

Lewis-Tyson had been on hold because of a clash of TV contracts_ Lewis is with HBO, and Tyson with Showtime – and now might neverhappen after Lewis' stunning upset loss.

"There's no Mike Tyson if I don't get past Hasim Rahman, simpleas that," Lewis said.

Rahman, a 28-year-old fighter from Baltimore, chased thechampion across the ring and, with Lewis smiling defiantly at him,unleashed a right cross that caught the champion flush on the jawand sent him sprawling to the canvas.

Lying on his back for several seconds, Lewis was unable to beatthe count and, at 2:32 of the fifth round, the world of boxing hada new, totally unexpected, heavyweight champion.

The finish was eerily similar to Lewis' last loss, on Sept. 24,1994, when Oliver McCall floored him with a right hand.

"I felt fine in there. I was going about my work nice andcomfortably and there was no way Hasim Rahman could beat me,"Lewis said. "This is just what happens in heavyweight boxing. Hehit me with a good shot. That's the situation when you get two bigguys in there with right hands."

Not long after the fight started at about 5:30 a.m. – thepre-dawn local time put the fight on U.S. TV at night – there weresigns that an upset was in the cards, with Rahman (35-2) clippingLewis on the chin in the second round.

Lewis seemed intent on ignoring his left jab, and insteadconcentrated on throwing big right hands.

In the third round, Lewis landed a left, followed by aleft-right combination, but Rahman responded with a big right handof his own.

Lewis (38-2-1) had Rahman in trouble early in the fourth but wasrocked by a left hook and hundreds among the 5,500 in the crowd atCarnival City Casino began chanting "Hasim! Hasim!"

Lewis' stamina was questioned because he arrived in Johannesburgonly two weeks before the fight, with little time to get used tothe 5,200-foot altitude. That showed in the fifth round as heclearly began breathing heavily.

Rahman, throwing punches on the run, had Lewis backpedalling andthe challenger ended the fight with the spectacular knockout punch.

"I told you all I was confident. Not one time since the fightwas made was I nervous," said Rahman, who put himself in line fora much bigger payday than the reported $1.5 million he earnedSunday.

"He came out and tried to dictate the pace but I wouldn't lethim. I never took an opponent serious before this. I felt like if Ididn't train properly he would have the edge."

Lewis went into the bout at his heaviest weight ever – 253pounds, 16 more than the challenger, who also surrendered 3 inchesin height and 9 inches in reach.

While Rahman had been in South Africa for about a month toprepare for his title shot, Lewis was here half as long aftertaking time off to film the remake of "Ocean's Eleven" with JuliaRoberts, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Lewis has a rematch clause in his contract.

"I definitely want the rematch," he said. "Hasim Rahman isthe champ today. The second time around Hasim Rahman is going togo."