Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman

Last updated
X-Plosive
Klitschko vs. Rahman.jpg
Date13 December 2008
Venue SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany
Title(s) on the line IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Flag of Ukraine.svg Wladimir Klitschko Flag of the United States.svg Hasim Rahman
Nickname "Dr. Steelhammer" "The Rock"
Hometown Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Pre-fight record 51–3 (44 KO) 45–6–2 (1) (36 KO)
Age 32 years, 8 months 36 years, 1 month
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 245 lb (111 kg) 255 lb (116 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition IBF, WBO and IBO
Heavyweight Champion
The Ring
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
IBF
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight
WBO
No. 8 Ranked Heavyweight
Former unified heavyweight champion
Result
Klitschko defeated Rahman by 7th round TKO

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman , billed as "X-Plosive", was a professional boxing match contested on 13 December 2008 for the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight championship. [1]

Contents

Background

After unifying the IBF & WBO title by defeating Sultan Ibragimov, Wladimir Klitschko made one title defence against WBO mandatory challenger Tony Thompson before agreeing to face his IBF mandatory Alexander Povetkin. In October 2008 Povetkin withdrew with a leg injury, and with the second and third ranked contenders Alexander Dimitrenko and Chris Arreola unavailable, Klitschko agreed to face former unified champion and fourth ranked IBF contender Hasim Rahman. [2] [3] [4]

Before agreeing to face Klitschko, Rahman had won four of his five fights since losing his WBC title in a close fight to Oleg Maskaev, the fifth was a no contest with James Toney. He was the NABF continental champion, having defeated Zuri Lawrence for the title in 2007, and was retroactively ranked the world's 9th best heavyweight that year by BoxRec. [5] He was also ranked within the top ten by both the IBF and WBO, and 12th by the WBC. He was aiming to join Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis as the only boxers ever to win a heavyweight title on three or more occasions.

On the undercard, former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe fought what would turn out to be the final fight of his career, beating journeyman Gene Pukall by an 8-round unanimous decision.

The fight

Klitschko in action against Rahman Wladimir Klitschko (2008-12-13).jpg
Klitschko in action against Rahman

Klitschko dominated the fight winning every round on the scorecards (two judges had it 60-53, the third scored it 60-47), scoring a knockdown the 6th round with a series of jabs followed by a right hand to the chin of Rahman who survived before referee Tony Weeks ended the fight in the seventh round. According to CompuBox Klitschko landed 178 punches with 48% accuracy, against Rahman's 30 punches with 14% accuracy. [6]

Aftermath

After his victory, Klitschko agreed to face former unified cruiserweight champion David Haye in Germany in June 2009, however, Haye pulled out and was replaced by the WBA "Champion In recess" Ruslan Chagaev.

Rahman would spend 15 months out of the ring after this fight before returning to knockout his next five opponents before losing in two rounds to Povetkin. He would retire after a decision loss to the unknown Anthony Nansen in June 2014.

Undercard

Confirmed bouts: [7]

WinnerLoserWeight division/title belt(s) disputedResult
Flag of the United States.svg Cornelius Bundrage Flag of Russia.svg Zaurbek Baysangurov Super Welterweight (12 rounds)5th-round TKO.
Flag of Germany.svg Wilhelm Fischer Flag of Latvia.svg Edgars KalnarsHeavyweight (8 rounds)4th-round KO.
Flag of the United States.svg Riddick Bowe Flag of Germany.svg Gene Pukall Heavyweight (8 rounds)Unanimous decision.
Flag of Germany.svg Robin Krasniqi Flag of Germany.svg Lars BuchholzLight Heavyweight (6 rounds)Unanimous decision.
Flag of Croatia.svg Mario Preskar Flag of Germany.svg Hans-Joerg BlaskoHeavyweight (8 rounds)3rd round RTD.
Flag of Albania.svg Fatjon Murati Flag of Austria.svg Omar JattaLight Heavyweight (4 rounds)Unanimous decision.

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcaster
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada TSN
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany RTL
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Sport 1
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia RTR Sport
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Inter
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Setanta Sports [8]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States HBO

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasim Rahman</span> American boxer

Hasim Sharif Rahman is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2014. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBC, IBF, IBO and lineal titles in 2001; and the WBC title again from 2005 to 2006. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight by BoxRec from 2000 to 2007, and reached his highest ranking of world No.6 in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko</span> Ukrainian boxer (born 1976)

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held the world heavyweight championship twice, including the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring magazine titles. A strategic and intelligent boxer, Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. He was known for his exceptional knockout power, using a strong jab, straight right hand and left hook, quick hand speed, great physical strength which he employed when clinching opponents, and his athletic footwork and mobility, unusual for boxers of his size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Povetkin</span> Russian boxer

Alexander Vladimirovich "Sasha" Povetkin is a Russian former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2021. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title from 2011 to 2013; the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 2020 to 2021; and challenged twice for the unified heavyweight championship in 2013 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Peter</span> Nigerian boxer

Samuel Okon Peter is a Nigerian professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title in 2008, when he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds. In his prime, he was known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers, having faced Wladimir twice and Vitali once. Peter was named among the 20 greatest athletes in the history of independent Nigeria by The Punch in 2023, while his capturing of the WBC heavyweight title was ranked the 26th most memorable moment in independent Nigeria's sports history by Premium Times in 2020. He was ranked by The Ring among ten best heavyweights at the conclusion of a year from 2005 to 2008, reaching his highest ranking of world No.2 in 2007. Peter is known for his punching power and holds a 78.9% knockout-to-win ratio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Chagaev</span> Uzbekistani boxer (born 1978)

Ruslan Shamilevich Chagaev ; born 19 October 1978) is an Uzbekistani former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2016. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title twice and was the first Asian boxer to win a world heavyweight title by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight or contender by The Ring magazine at the conclusion of each year between 2006 and 2015; at the end of 2008 he was ranked third, only behind the Klitschko brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Chambers</span> American boxer

Edward Chambers is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by The Ring at the conclusion of 2009. A defensively-oriented fighter, Chambers has been widely credited for his counterpunching skills and particularly praised for his hand speed and footwork. He has also been one of the first heavyweights with ability to switch between fighting orthodox and southpaw.

Michael Hunter, Jr. is an American professional boxer who challenged for the WBO junior heavyweight title in 2017. As an amateur, he won the National Championships as a super heavyweight in 2007 and 2009, and qualified for the 2012 Olympics in the heavyweight division. He is the son of late professional boxer Mike "the Bounty" Hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Haye vs Derek Chisora</span> Boxing competition

David Haye vs Derek Chisora, billed as Licensed to Thrill, was a professional boxing match contested between former heavyweight champion, David Haye, and former world title challenger, Derek Chisora. The bout took place on 14 July 2012 at the Boleyn Ground, with Haye winning by technical knockout in the fifth round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on December 14, 2002 for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko II</span> Boxing competition

Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko II, billed as "Revenge Is The Name Of The Game", was a professional boxing match contested on 22 April 2006 for the IBF and vacant IBO heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev</span> Boxing competition

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev, billed as "Knockout Auf Schalke", was a professional boxing match contested on 20 June 2009 for the IBF, WBO, IBO, and vacant The Ring heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolai Valuev vs. David Haye</span> Boxing competition

Nikolai Valuev vs. David Haye, billed as David vs Goliath, was a professional boxing match contested on 7 November 2009 for the WBA heavyweight championship.

Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko, billed as Die Rache des Bruders, was a professional boxing match contested on 14 October 2000 for the WBO Heavyweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders</span> Boxing Match

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders, billed as The Next Big Thing was a professional boxing match contested on 8 March 2003 for the WBO Heavyweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua, and former WBA (Regular) champion Alexander Povetkin. The bout took place on 22 September 2018 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Joshua defeated Povetkin, retaining his heavyweight titles via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina</span> Boxing competition

Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated IBF champion Anthony Joshua, and the IBF's number 7 ranked contender and former world title challenger, Éric Molina. The bout took place on 10 December 2016 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Joshua defeated Molina, retaining his heavyweight title via third-round technical knockout (TKO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin</span> Boxing competition

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin, was a professional boxing match contested on 5 October 2013 for the WBA, IBF, WBO, The Ring and IBO heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko vs. Samuel Peter II</span> Boxing Match

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Samuel Peter II was a professional boxing match contested on 11 September 2010, for the IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight championship.

References

  1. "Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman - BoxRec". boxrec.com.
  2. "Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman - BoxRec". boxrec.com.
  3. Claudio, EJ. "My Thoughts On Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman".
  4. "Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman is Being Explored".
  5. BoxRec's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight Annuals. BoxRec. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  6. agencies, Telegraph staff and. "Vladimir Klitschko KO's Hasim Rahman". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  7. "BoxRec - event". boxrec.com.
  8. Gareth A Davies (9 December 2008). "David Haye on course for a clash with Klitschko – Wladimir or Vitali". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
Preceded by Wladimir Klitschko's bouts
13 December 2008
Succeeded by
Preceded by Hasim Rahman's bouts
13 December 2008
Succeeded by
vs. Clinton Boldridge