On a Thursday afternoon in late August, Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, whom were seated side by side with host Gary Miller, were taping a segment for the ESPN show “Up Close.” The two were preparing for their much anticipated rematch in November.
The back and forth became heated when Rahman questioned the former champions manhood. Lewis became incensed and responded, “I’m 100 percent a woman’s man. If he has worries about that, bring your sister.”
The two rose and stood face to face. The taunting continued until push came to shove and, in the blink of an eye, Rahman had Lewis by the throat. Onlookers rushed to separate the two before Rahman put Lewis on his back, crashing down through the table in which they were seated just seconds earlier.
How did all of this begin?
Just four months earlier, the two traveled to South Africa where they would meet on April 22. Lewis, the Heavyweight champion, was installed as a 20-1 betting favorite. Few gave Rahman much of a chance.
Billed as “Thunder in Africa,” the bout was scheduled to get underway at about 5:30 am local time. The predawn scheduling would accommodate viewers stateside as HBO televised the bout live on Saturday night.
Rumors swirled in the prefight buildup. Rahman, (34-2, 28 KOs) and his team elected to arrive one month before fight night to train and to adjust to the elevated altitude at some 5,700 feet. It was a wise decision as he weighed in at a solid and in shape 238 pounds.
Lewis (38-1-1, KOs) on the other hand was training in Las Vegas while filming his role in the upcoming movie Ocean’s 11. He would arrive in South Africa just 12 days before the fight and would later weigh in at a career high 253 pounds.
Fans packed the Carnival City Casino in Brakpan, South Africa to witness the title bout that was scheduled for 12 rounds. Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and George Foreman were seated ringside to call the action.
Rahman, wearing black trunks trimmed in red, elected to stand at mid ring in Round 1. Slowly plodding forward, he worked behind his left jab, popping it to the champion’s head and mid-section leaving Merchant to observe, “Rahman looks very composed.”
Lewis, adorned in white trunks with red trim, was content to stand in front of Rahman and concentrate on his own left jab. The first three minutes were, in the truest sense, a feeling out round for both men.
Lewis began firing straight right hands, occasionally mixing in right uppercuts, in Round 2. Rahman continued to fire to the Lewis body as the two traded for control of the action. Midway through the round, Merchant detected Lewis breathing hard. “His mouth is already open. I don’t know if that’s significant or not.”
As the bout progressed into the third and fourth rounds, the action was almost exclusively in the middle of the ring. Lewis continued working his long left jab while ripping right crosses and uppercuts.
Undaunted, Rahman continued to use his own left hand, jabbing, hooking and firing straight right hands to the champion’s body. As Rahman began pulling the trigger and landing right hands, Lewis had begun to put some hurt on his challenger as Rahman’s left eye had begun to swell.
Now in Round 5, Lewis began pursing Rahman who was backing up. More and more of the action was leaning towards the ropes and no longer in the center of the ring. Rahman responded by strafing the champion with a right hand high on the forehead.
That single punch proved to be the beginning of the end.
The crowd moaned as Foreman liked what he was seeing. “Good right hand! That’s what you got to do. You want the man’s title, go take it.”
Seconds later, with under a minute remaining in the round, Rahman pushed Lewis backward by firing six consecutive left jabs. As Lewis’ back touched the ropes, Rahman fired a right hand that landed flush on the champion’s jaw. Lewis fell hard, slamming onto the canvas.
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The crowd rose as Lampley screamed in disbelief. “Rahman with a thunderbolt of a right hand! Has Rahman pulled the upset? He has! We got a brand new Heavyweight champion and he’s from the United States!”
Referee Daniel Van de Wiele called a halt to the action while trying to help the now former champion to his feet. The new champion circled the ring in celebration receiving hugs from his team.
It was bedlam.
In an unbelievable turn of events, Rahman had knocked out Lewis at 2:30 of Round 5. While the crowd roared its approval, many chanting the new champion’s name, confetti rained down from above.
A dazed Lewis sat on his stool while Merchant put a stamp on the upset. “For Lennox Lewis, it was a crumble in the jungle. He just drowned in Oceans 11.”
Rahman’s knockout was named The Ring “Upset of the Year” and “Knockout of the Year” for 2001. Lampley ranked it among the four biggest upsets in the history of the division.
Lewis had a rematch clause in his contract which led to the eventual rematch in November and the “Up Close” brawl preceding it in August.
Lewis would get his revenge. In Round 4, he brutally knocked out Rahman with a sweeping overhand right that put him on his back and put him to sleep.
Although a rubber match would have been attractive in the eyes on many, the two would not meet in the ring again.
