Lennox Lewis will always be a heavyweight and boxing great, heâs currently the last man to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world two decades ago, but one of his biggest losses came in 2001 against Hasim Rahman.
The Lion put the WBC, IBF and IBO belts on the line and came into the fight as a heavy favourite. However, five rounds in, he was knocked out by the American who became the new heavyweight champion.
He would go on to regain his belts and became the undisputed heavyweight champion in 2002, but the loss was a tough one to take at the time, it was only the second loss of his career at the time.
It took place in Brakpan, South Africa, with Lewisâ preparation nowhere near as comprehensive as his opponentâs.
Rahman travelled to South Africa at the back end of March, just under a month before the fight. South Africa is 5,200 feet above sea level, so he wanted to give himself time to adjust.
On the other hand, Lewis arrived a few weeks later, after preparing in Las Vegas which is just 2,000 feet above sea level. He was in Vegas so he could film a cameo appearance in the film Oceanâs Eleven.
It led to an iconic piece of commentary from Larry Merchant, who after the knockout said: âHe just drowned in Oceanâs Eleven.â
Lewis was just ahead on the judgesâ scorecards after four rounds, but the killer blow came in the fifth round, with Rahman victorious.
After the fight, the underdog Rahman became a huge name in the sport and signed a $5 million deal with Don King.
He reigned victorious for half a year until Lewis avenged the defeat in November with a fourth round knockout to regain his belts.
The Rahman name is rising again in the name of boxing, with Hasim Rahman Jr stepping in to fight Jake Paul next month at Madison Square Garden after Tommy Fury pulled out of the fight once again.
Fury released a statement to say he was disappointed he wasnât allowed into the USA and claimed he would be happy to fight Paul âany time, any place, anywhere.â
Paul responded by saying: âIâm confident you are a scared little boy who doesnât want to fight or understand business. I will pay you $500k to fight me in the UK. I will do it shortly after August 6. You accept?â