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On the 12th of this month, sole American World Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman attempts to prevent the title being the 100% ownership of Eastern European fighters.
Opposing Rahman is old foe Oleg Maskaev, who holds a KO Victory over “The Rock” back in 1999. On that night Rahman was well ahead on points before being stopped in Round eight.
Now aged 37, Maskaev never really capitalised on that shock win and has spent the last eight years fighting middle of the road heavies who have seen better days. In fact when he did step up to the plate to fight a named fighter, it often ended in a KO defeat as shown against the likes of Kirk Johnson and Corey Sanders in 2000 and 2002 respectively.
However Maskaev is undefeated in his last ten fights and in his last bout earned a unanimous decision win over tough Turk Sinan Samil Sam in November last year.
In Rahman, he meets a man in his second reign as World Heavyweight Champion. Like Maskaev ,he has lost five bouts but has undoubtedly mixed in much higher company. He is also four years younger than his challenger at 33.
Although he can be frustratingly tedious at times, Rahman, when focused, has shown he is an accomplished fighter who can beat anyone on any given day. Lennox Lewis, back in April 2001, made the mistake of underestimating Hasim and paid the price in five.
Touted prospect Kali Meehan was also dismantled in four back in 2004. Even in his last fight against defensive master James Toney, Rahman found a way to force the mistakes by trapping the older, smaller man against the ropes, nullifying Toney’s inside work on the way to a disputed drawn verdict back in March.
For me however, the big fascination of this one is that both men can be knocked out and knocked out spectacularly.
Certainly this was evident in their first meeting back in ’99 when Hasim seemed to fall apart after being so far ahead. Add that to the devastating KO loss to David Tua in 1998 in another fight he was winning and the Lennox Lewis one punch KO loss in the Vegas rematch of 2001 and there points to a certain look of vulnerability on the champion’s part. In Maskaev’s case all five of his defeats have been by KO.
In analysing this one, you can easily point to their first meeting. However since becoming champion, Rahman has the look of a man who his growing into the position of World Heavyweight Champion and is enjoying his newly won World Championship status.
Maskaev on the other hand, is not getting any younger and I’ve a feeling that Rahman this time will exact revenge by returning the stoppage compliment by about round nine.
