Post by RSunn on Jun 21, 2004 11:33:21 GMT -5
Rahman Looks to Regain Title Vs. Calloway
Wed Jun 16,12:45 PM ET
By DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
GLEN BURNIE, Md. - Hasim Rahman's quest to regain the heavyweight title has reached the point where knockouts and flashy performances are no longer important.
Winning is all that matters, even if it means squeezing out a decision against an opponent far less notable than himself.
Rahman (37-5-1) won't predict a knockout in his bout against Rob Calloway on Thursday night. Putting the challenger on the canvas isn't a priority; a victory of any kind should be enough to get Rahman a title shot, and that alone is his source of motivation.
"It's very important that I win. I'm the No. 1 contender in the WBA, and a loss would be terrible," he said. "It can go the distance if he runs around, but if I catch him with some good body shots I can take him out."
Rahman won the heavyweight title with a shocking upset of Lennox Lewis in April 2001. He lost the rematch in November of that year, then went three years without a win until he rekindled his career with a unanimous decision over Al Cole on March 11.
One month later, Rahman stopped Mario Cawley in the second round of an ugly mismatch. Now, the former champ is looking for a third straight win and the chance to take on WBA champion John Ruiz.
"I feel like I'm a smarter boxer than I've ever been," Rahman said. "I'm more polished, more relaxed. I'm ready to be champion again."
Standing in the way is Calloway (44-4-1), a former junior heavyweight champion who considers this to be the biggest fight of his life.
"A win would escalate my career to a point where it's never been before," he said. "Beating Rahman, a guy who was king of the boxing world a couple of years ago, would put me on the map."
Calloway has 33 knockouts, but his style relies heavily on finesse and quickness.
"I'm not going to stand there and slug it out with him early," Calloway said. "I'm not going to knock out someone like him in the first round, but I have the power to do it in the later rounds, after I wear him down."
This will be Rahman's third fight in three months, but he dismissed the Cawley fight as nothing more than an abbreviated workout.
"If that would have been a 10-round bout, I wouldn't have come back so soon," he said.
Rahman's return to the top has occurred far from the lights and glamour of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. He fought Cole in the ballroom at Michael's Eighth Avenue — located within 20 miles of his hometown of Baltimore — then took on Cawley in a Delaware ballroom.
Now he's back at Michael's, where he hopes to put on a show for the hometown fans at Calloway's expense.
"Good things have happened for me since I began fighting here," Rahman said. "I've won two straight and I'm back up in the rankings. What more can I ask?"
How about another title shot?
"That's the plan," Rahman said. "All I have to do is keep on winning, and that will take care of itself."
Wed Jun 16,12:45 PM ET
By DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
GLEN BURNIE, Md. - Hasim Rahman's quest to regain the heavyweight title has reached the point where knockouts and flashy performances are no longer important.
Winning is all that matters, even if it means squeezing out a decision against an opponent far less notable than himself.
Rahman (37-5-1) won't predict a knockout in his bout against Rob Calloway on Thursday night. Putting the challenger on the canvas isn't a priority; a victory of any kind should be enough to get Rahman a title shot, and that alone is his source of motivation.
"It's very important that I win. I'm the No. 1 contender in the WBA, and a loss would be terrible," he said. "It can go the distance if he runs around, but if I catch him with some good body shots I can take him out."
Rahman won the heavyweight title with a shocking upset of Lennox Lewis in April 2001. He lost the rematch in November of that year, then went three years without a win until he rekindled his career with a unanimous decision over Al Cole on March 11.
One month later, Rahman stopped Mario Cawley in the second round of an ugly mismatch. Now, the former champ is looking for a third straight win and the chance to take on WBA champion John Ruiz.
"I feel like I'm a smarter boxer than I've ever been," Rahman said. "I'm more polished, more relaxed. I'm ready to be champion again."
Standing in the way is Calloway (44-4-1), a former junior heavyweight champion who considers this to be the biggest fight of his life.
"A win would escalate my career to a point where it's never been before," he said. "Beating Rahman, a guy who was king of the boxing world a couple of years ago, would put me on the map."
Calloway has 33 knockouts, but his style relies heavily on finesse and quickness.
"I'm not going to stand there and slug it out with him early," Calloway said. "I'm not going to knock out someone like him in the first round, but I have the power to do it in the later rounds, after I wear him down."
This will be Rahman's third fight in three months, but he dismissed the Cawley fight as nothing more than an abbreviated workout.
"If that would have been a 10-round bout, I wouldn't have come back so soon," he said.
Rahman's return to the top has occurred far from the lights and glamour of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. He fought Cole in the ballroom at Michael's Eighth Avenue — located within 20 miles of his hometown of Baltimore — then took on Cawley in a Delaware ballroom.
Now he's back at Michael's, where he hopes to put on a show for the hometown fans at Calloway's expense.
"Good things have happened for me since I began fighting here," Rahman said. "I've won two straight and I'm back up in the rankings. What more can I ask?"
How about another title shot?
"That's the plan," Rahman said. "All I have to do is keep on winning, and that will take care of itself."
