Hasim Rahman Jr. held a scaling on Friday, the day he was contracted to make 200 pounds in a fight with YouTuber Jake Paul.
With less than a week to go, Rahman informed the New York State Athletic Commission and Paul’s team that he still had more than ten pounds to lose.
Under New York rules, Rahman couldn’t drop that much fat in a week. Therefore, a new weight of 205 pounds got agreed upon before Paul pulled the plug.
However, poor ticket sales for the 20,000-capacity event at Madison Square Garden overshadowed any weight issues surrounding the collapse.
Hasim Rahman Jr weigh-in
To ‘expose’ Paul scrapping the fight overweight, Rahman announced he would do his own scaling. It didn’t go to plan.
“206.6,” he bragged on Friday. “Exposure!”
The fact that he had to make 205 didn’t seem to matter to Rahman, who thought pushing for a fight, he’d have easily knocked off the extra 1.6 pounds.
He added: “The 25% purse fines were a post of the contract for a reason. Stay tuned for more exposure in a few.”
A short time later, Rahman said: “Never in the history of boxing has someone pulled out a fight a week in advance for weight issues.
“I tried to tell you all. He’s a runner. He’s a track star.”
Screwdriver denial
Before his big weight reveal, Some pointed to a video showing Rahman hitting 216 pounds weeks ago to have been helped by a screwdriver visible in the clip.
The heavyweight moved to deny any notion despite evidence going against him.
“Stop making excuses. Nobody tampered with the scale. You all denied the video because of what you saw in it. Then you turn and try to use that same video against me.
“All this tweeting about me, But you [Jake Paul] don’t want to fight!”
Furthermore, Rahman stated: “Jake doesn’t want that. He’ll only take the fight if I agree to 200 or 205. Like we both said, I was 215 yesterday.
“I’m getting fined 25% per pound! Keep the money. I’m good with knocking him out.”
Criticism
Tureano Johnson, a fellow professional boxer, had none of Rahman’s behavior over any of the issues.
The former middleweight contender is one of a few pros to give Rahman a dressing down.
“You are not just a complete a-hole but a piece of s***. You are a prize fighter. It’s your job to train and stay in shape.
“You have no discipline. [You are an] embarrassment. You’re not fit to be called a boxer. You’re already losing to a clown. Making these idiots look good. Not one pound!
“You and your team are an embarrassment! You signed a contract that you can’t honor. Why?
“You probably could have beaten that abomination to boxing. But hell, you’re no better than him.
“Keep your name out of boxing. You don’t deserve even to get mentioned. Lousy a**!
“It’s just as much your fault as it’s Paul’s. Can’t you read? No comprende? You should have never signed the contract if you couldn’t honor it.
“Yeah, they pull a slick one [with the weight], your dumb negotiators could have countered. If it’s refused, go public, and fans will judge.”
Contracted weight
Another professional fighter to speak out about Rahman was Ryan Garcia. He said: “If you sign a contract to fight at a weight and then later decide you can’t because reality hit you, then that’s on you.
“Don’t agree to something you knew you weren’t capable, then expect everyone to just oblige to your misstep.”
Hasim Rahman Jr has extended his reputation no matter what happens in the future. However, his next fight will almost certainly be over the 200-pound limit.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
