The creation of historical past could be as forgettable as it’s memorable. On April 22, 2001, in Carnival Metropolis, South Africa, American heavyweight Hasim Rahman knocked out Lennox Lewis within the fifth spherical to win the WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight championships. Lewis vs Rahman I used to be devoid of nice motion and is notable strictly for Lewis’ stunning unseating as heavyweight king, which appeared to substantiate the doubts of those that couldn’t overlook when he had been surprised in related vogue by Oliver McCall in 1994. For Rahman, it was the triumphant fruits of a journey that had taken him from the drug-laden initiatives of Baltimore to the apex of the heavyweight division—one nice punch that eternally altered his destiny.
Given the turbulent monitor of his life, that Rahman was even capable of create a profitable boxing profession is a testomony to his resolve. As soon as an enforcer for drug sellers, he had survived a number of shootings and a horrific automotive crash earlier than beginning to field at age 20. He compiled a 34-2 skilled report and had just lately defeated Frankie Swindell and Corrie Sanders to earn his shot at Lewis. The champion was coming off latest wins towards David Tua and Francois Botha, however some suspected focus was missing in his preparation as a result of his latest involvement with the filming of the Hollywood film Ocean’s Eleven. His lackluster efficiency would validate these suspicions.
From the opening bell, Lewis, combating at 253 lbs, was clearly not sharp, and appeared fatigued, throwing fewer punches per spherical than standard and jabbing ineffectively. Rahman, exhibiting little trepidation, boxed well though with an apparent warning employed to forestall being victimized by Lewis’ jab and heavy proper hand. A disparity of expertise was apparent between the 2 males, however the champion couldn’t take full benefit. In the beginning of the fourth around the tempo picked up as each males began to field extra aggressively and throw heavier punches. However Lewis, who demonstrated somewhat extra hearth on this sequence, couldn’t keep the momentum and because the motion regressed it grew to become apparent that the longer the struggle went, the extra inclined the champion can be to getting caught by one arduous shot.
That shot got here within the very subsequent spherical. Rahman answered the bell visibly extra energized than Lewis, and halfway by the spherical tagged the champion with a tough proper. At this Lewis smiled, presumably to mock the challenger, however in doing so gave himself away, since fighters usually smile to disguise ache or alarm. Spurred on, Rahman chased Lewis to the ropes, having grow to be the struggle’s common. Nonetheless smiling, a gassed Lewis then dropped his fingers as Rahman appeared to again off. Abruptly, the challenger shifted path, pressured Lewis again to the ropes, and fired. Hammered by a thunderous proper hand, Lewis toppled to the canvas. He by no means got here near beating the rely. With one devastating shot, his world was upended, his title misplaced.
HBO’s Jim Lampley punctuated the knockout by invoking Lewis’ shocking 1994 loss to Oliver McCall and Mike Tyson’s 1990 defeat to Buster Douglas, related cases wherein the champion was crushed by his personal lack of focus. To not be outdone, George Foreman started to awkwardly sing “America the Stunning,” clearly excited that boxing followers stateside had a local son again on the division’s apex. Rahman, euphoric at having conquered his closely favoured opponent, raised his arms in triumph as his nook went wild and a shocked and dazed Lewis was relegated to his stool the place the medical support he acquired couldn’t presumably deal with the harm accomplished to his ego.
A retired Lewis would later declare in an interview with British boxing present Ringside that “every part wasn’t aligned for me that day.” He known as Rahman’s shattering punch “a fortunate shot,” contrasting it together with his extra calculated knockout of The Rock of their rematch later that yr, which, to his credit score, was probably the greatest heavyweight knockouts of the last decade. Lewis was unwilling to afford Rahman a lot reward, emphasizing his personal inadequacy moderately than the efforts of his opponent.
Whereas Lewis’ opinions right here may be justified, his efficiency on this struggle stays one of many blackest marks on his report. A fantastic expertise whose fusion of energy and boxing acumen made him one of the best heavyweight of his era, Lewis nonetheless was shocked by lesser lights like Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, and pushed to the sting of defeat by the gutsy Vitali Klitschko. Regardless of his dominance and excessive standing, Lewis will eternally be remembered for these few cases wherein poor focus and a inclined chin made him the prey of lesser fighters.
However maybe that is too harsh an evaluation. Successful the heavyweight championship after which defending it efficiently requires a resolve that borders on the superhuman. That Lewis solely misplaced twice professionally, and avenged each defeats, is a testomony to each his will and talent. Whereas really nice champions ought to by no means lose so ignominiously, the sheer heavy-handedness of heavyweight boxing can lead to fast and unexpected terminations, as one punch can alter rather more than the course of a struggle. For Rahman, one punch earned him the heavyweight title within the final transcending of previous circumstances, whereas for Lewis, it served as essentially the most forgettable second of his in any other case nice profession. — Eliott McCormick
