Since yesterday’s late arrival in Hamburg, Germany, it is no secret that Hasim Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs) likes to take his time. As expected, he was fashionably late for today’s public workout at the Europa Passage in Hamburg. After leaving the hotel behind schedule and an interview on site, he changed into his training gear and had his hands taped. The media and fans had to be patient before they were able to see the challenger in action.
But then, he got started – and he did so with a bang. Just a few weeks ago during the first official press conference ahead of the big fight on Saturday, Rahman drew attention due to his presumably overweight size. But on Tuesday all of that seemed to be a thing of the past. In a much better condition, the 39-year-old started his session by hitting the pads. And one thing is for sure: Even Alexander Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) would have been impressed by those powerful jabs and hooks the challenger put on display.
The session of the current WBA Heavyweight Champion was after Rahman’s and therefore, he wasn’t able to follow the happenings on stage. He also missed out on the Americans promise he made for the clash on the September 29: “I will knock him out.”
Defending Champion Alexander Povetkin took a lot of time out of his schedule to give the waiting spectators a real show. In the former Triple-Champion Kostya Tszyu, he has a coach who knows how to keep the masses entertained.
“I am not a fan of big announcements”, said the Hall-of-Famer. “But Alexander has been training hard. There is no reason why he should not be able to present himself in top-shape.” And that was exactly what he did during the public workout: Warm-up, rope skipping, shadowboxing and finally hitting the pads. “I am looking forward to a great fight on Saturday night,” said the Champion and continued: “I don’t expect this bout to be easy.”
Also present at today’s public training session were Kubrat Pulev (16-0, 8 KOs) and his challenger Alexander Ustinov (27-0, 21 KOs). The heavyweight clash at the Sporthalle Hamburg is not just about the European and IBF-International Title. The winner will also receive the status as IBF’s number one ranked fighter.
Jack Culcay (12-0, 8 KOs) also showed of his set of skills at the Europa Passage. The WBA Intercontinental Light Middleweight Champion will face Britain’s Mark Thompson (24-1, 14 KOs) this Saturday.
