REPLAYING WITH FIRE
Rahman: Defending titles is tough... I should know
THE LAST man to pull off a huge upset against a British heavyweight star has warned Andy Ruiz Jnr defending the titles is much more difficult.
But Hasim Rahman believes the Mexican-American boxer won’t make the same mistakes he did against Lennox Lewis when he puts his WBA, IBF and WBO titles on the line against Anthony Joshua on Saturday.
It is 18 years and eight months since Rahman shocked heavyweight boxing when he KO’d Lewis in South Africa.
But the American surrendered the WBC and IBF titles in the rematch seven months later as Lewis flattened him in four. And Rahman admitted the pressure of being champion weighed heavily on him.
“It does change because you’ve got somebody coming in trying to take it away from you now,” he said.
“It’s quite frankly easier when you want to go and take something. Now you’ve got to defend something, you’ve got to stand your ground.”
Joshua says he knows why he lost the first fight with Ruiz in New York but has refused to reveal his secrets.
Lewis also knew why he was stunned by the then little-known Rahman.
The British boxing icon had gone into the fight as a huge favourite but took his eye off the prize, with negotiations for a mega fight with Mike Tyson underway.
He became an overnight superstar and signed a £20m deal with Don King as they tried to move away from a rematch.
But he was forced into the second fight after the Brit took him to court because of a rematch clause in the contract, much like there was for Ruiz when he beat Joshua.
“I don’t really regret things,” said Rahman, who is preparing Michael Hunter for a clash with Alexander Povetkin on Saturday’s undercard.
“If we’d have fought a trilogy, I would have been a completely different fighter.”
Rahman has seen first hand how Ruiz has prepared for this weekend’s clash because the defending champion has been sparring with his man Hunter.
And having watched Ruiz in training, he is backing him to do what he couldn’t do.
“Lennox made vast changes and showed me a different version of himself,” said Rahman.
“I think Joshua is preparing to try to box and move and use his distance, and I believe Andy is preparing for a different Anthony Joshua.
“I didn’t have that heads-up against Lewis. I think Andy is going to be OK in this fight.”
ANTHONY JOSHUA insists it won’t be time to party if he gets his world titles back.
The British star faces Andy Ruiz Jnr in a rematch after he lost his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in New York last June.
Ahead of Saturday’s fight in Saudi Arabia, AJ said: “When I regain those belts I’m going to keep cool and stay focused on the next challenge. It’s not a time to celebrate. Ruiz is just the next target on my list. There’s no fear in my heart, no fear in my eyes.”
Mexican-American Ruiz said: “I don’t want to let these beautiful belts get away.”