Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman
IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rahman wins via 5th-round KO |
Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman, billed as "Thunder in Africa", was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between
Background
Following three successful title defenses in 2000, Lennox Lewis turned his sights on a potential superfight with
The fight
The two fighters fought a close first four rounds, though Lewis was ahead on all three judges' scorecards by the score of 39–37, having won rounds two through four while Rahman was able to win the fight's opening round. By the fourth round, Rahman had become the aggressor, throwing 60 punches to Lewis' 33, though each man landed 20 and Lewis was able to narrowly win the round. In the fifth round, Lewis threw few punches, instead stalking Rahman throughout the round in an attempt to size up Rahman in order to land a knockout blow, but Rahman was able to successfully defend himself and avoided taking any power punches from Lewis. With 46 seconds remaining in the round, Rahman was able to turn the tables and used his jab to back Lewis into the ropes. Shortly after that exchange, Lewis momentarily dropped his gloves to his side, allowing Rahman to quickly land a strong right hand that dropped Lewis to the mat. Lewis was unable to get back to his feet and Rahman was announced the winner by knockout, becoming the new heavyweight champion.[8][9]
Aftermath
Following his upset victory, Rahman became an overnight sensation. Less than a month after his victory, Rahman signed a $5 million deal with influential promoter
Despite airing at 3.15am on Sunday morning, 1.4 million viewers tuned in on BBC One.[16]
Undercard
Confirmed bouts:[17]
Broadcasting
Country | Broadcaster |
---|---|
United Kingdom | BBC[18] |
United States | HBO |
References
- ^ "Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman (1st meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Rahman Takes Lewis's Belts In Big Upset, N.Y. Times article, 2001-04-22, Retrieved on 2013-07-16
- ^ "BOXING: Rahman's KO of Lewis goes toe to toe with biggest upsets". Kitsap Sun. 23 April 2001. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Lewis's Timetable: Tyson, Then Quit, N.Y. Times article, 2000-12-25, Retrieved on 2013-07-08
- ^ Tyson and Lewis Agree, But Can Pay-Per-View?, N.Y. Times article, 2001-03-09, Retrieved on 2013-07-08
- ^ Ruiz Wants to Fight Lewis Next. Get In Line., N.Y. Times article, 2001-03-05, Retrieved on 2013-07-08
- ^ Lancaster, Rob. "Thunder in Africa: Recalling Hasim Rahman's Shock Win Over Lennox Lewis". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Hard Rocked, Sports Illustrated article, 2001-04-30, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ "Lewis suffers shock defeat". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Rahman Signs with Don King, Baltimore Sun article, 2001-05-12, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ Next for Rahman: Showtime vs. HBO, USA Today article, 2001-04-25, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ Tyson, Showtime raise stakes in effort to gain Rahman bout, Baltimore Sun article, 2001-05-05, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ King Signs Izon for Fight with Rahman, Court Permitting, Philadelphia Daily News article, 2001-06-01, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ Rahman-Lewis Rematch Official, Baltimore Sun article, 2001-08-07, Retrieved on 2013-07-11
- ^ Schuyler Jr., Ed (18 November 2001). "Boxing: Lewis knocks out Rahman". The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Sam Wallace (24 April 2001). "Boxing: BBC say 1.4 million stayed up for fight". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".
- ^ "BBC confirms Lewis fight deal". theguardian.com. The Guardian. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 12 February 2024.