Rahman eyes a new run at title

Associated Press

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.

After taking more than a year off from boxing, Hasim Rahman is suddenly in a big hurry.

Making what he says is his final run at reclaiming the heavyweight title, the two-time former champion has no intention of wasting time, outlining on Friday an ambitious plan to land a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko as early as next year.

“Definitely, I’m trying to do it in quick fashion,” Rahman said. “I’m trying to stay busy, do maybe two or three fights against somebody in the top 10, and then we’ll see what happens from there. And I’m trying to knock all these guys out.”

First thing’s first, of course.

The next step in the comeback comes tonight when Rahman (46-7-2) faces journeyman Shannon Miller (16-4) in a main event bout scheduled for 10 rounds at the Niagara Falls Conference Center. It will be the 37-year-old Rahman’s second fight in less than three months after a first-round TKO over Clinton Boldridge.

For Miller, of Troy, N.Y., it will be his first fight in 11 months, since a bout against Terrell Nelson was stopped in the third round following an accidental head butt and ruled a no contest. Miller has won only two of his past six fights.

The co-feature fight, between former Canadian Olympian Donald Orr (15-0) and John Mackey (11-5-2) of Montgomery, Ala., is a middleweight bout set for eight rounds. Orr, who fought in the 2000 Sydney Games, retired in 2002 before returning to boxing three years later.

Rahman remains the main attraction. He’s determined to rebuild his career — and legacy — since a seven-round TKO loss to Klitschko in December 2008.

He spent the downtime rehabbing, relaxing and re-evaluating a career that’s had more downs than ups since he lit up the boxing world with a four-round knockout of then champion Lennox Lewis in April 2001. “The Rock” then failed to follow up on his potential. He lost the rematch to Lewis later that year, and had a mixed record leading up to the loss to Klitschko.

Rahman is undeterred by his past, and said he wasn’t 100 percent in agreeing to fight Klitschko.

“I took a chance, I rolled the dice,” Rahman said. “Obviously, when I get a chance to fight him again, I’ll be in much better shape and then make a real fight out of it.”