Whilst all attention is on Moses Itauma potentially becoming boxing’s second-youngest heavyweight world champion on Saturday, one former ruler is focused on breaking records at the other end of the spectrum ahead of his comeback.
Itauma collides with Filip Hrgovic this weekend and hopes to take Floyd Patterson’s position as boxing’s second-youngest heavyweight champion by capturing the IBF crown at the age of 21 years old, with Mike Tyson being the only man to have achieved the feat at a younger age.
Meanwhile, the late George Foreman is the holder of the record as boxing’s oldest heavyweight world champion, famously recapturing world honours when he knocked out Michael Moorer at 45 years old back in 1994.
However, two-time champion Hasim Rahman, who famously knocked out Lennox Lewis in their first encounter only to suffer the same fate in the rematch, has vowed to break that record ahead of his comeback next month. He believes the lessons he has learned since retiring in 2014 will serve him well, as he explained in an interview with About Boxing.
“I feel like a person who says, ‘man, if I knew then what I knew now then I would be dangerous’, but I know it now. I am strong, I am in shape, I am going to knock somebody’s head off.”
At the age of 53 years old, the return of ‘The Rock’ has understandably raised alarm bells in the boxing community, but the Baltimore-born knockout artist attempted to ease those concerns by stating that he is ‘not putting himself at risk’ despite believing that he ‘can make history’.
“A lot of people do [worry about my comeback] because a lot of people look at the average guy that is my age or a guy that has been through what I have been through, but I am different. I am an entirely different species.
“I love me, I’m not going to put me at risk, I am strong, I am in shape and I can fight, I am hitting hard.”
“I just feel like I can make history. Sometimes, you have got to take a step back before you can take a step forward.”
Rahman will face the 4-4 recorded Phillip Triantafillo for the USA Indiana State heavyweight title on Saturday, September 24, seeking a first win in over 15 years.
