Hasim Rahman upset of Lennox Lewis revisited by Patrick Connor

Hasim Rahman had no business beating Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title, at least not when they met at Carnival City Casino in Brakpan, South Africa. The Baltimore fighter entered as a 20-to-1 underdog with a career best win over Corrie Sanders and losses to David Tua and Oleg Maskaev on his ledger.

Rahman trained as an amateur under Mack Lewis in Baltimore before catching the attention of Kevin Rooney, who tried molding him into a peek-a-boo fighter in the Catskills. That partnership soured quickly. "He wanted me to adopt Tyson's peek-a-boo style, but that wasn't for me," Rahman said later, per The Ring. He returned home, linked up with Janks Morton, and turned pro under Cedric Kushner in late 1994 instead of chasing Olympic gold.

How legal battles and a Sanders war set up the Lewis fight

Don King lured Rahman away from Kushner with cash, landing both fighter and promoter in court. Rahman stumbled to 5-2 over his next seven outings, but a seventh-round stoppage of Sanders after both men hit the canvas salvaged his ranking. Lewis had already reclaimed his WBC strap from Oliver McCall and torn through Evander Holyfield, Tua, and Michael Grant by the time Rahman got the call.

Lewis arrived in South Africa only 12 days before the bout, having taken a role in Ocean's Eleven. The altitude and short camp showed. Lewis fought with his hands low in the opening frame, caught stray punches from Rahman's awkward lean, and was breathing through his mouth by the end of the second round. Rahman's heavy feet should have made him an easy target for Lewis's jab, but the champion dispensed with nuance and loaded up on power shots instead.

Lewis opened Round 4 with an attack, but Rahman connected with a right hand over the top that ended Lewis's reign in one of the division's great shocks. The two meet again in a rematch set for later this year.

Source: ringmagazine.com