Wladimir Klitschko was known to be able to put a masterclass on against some of the very best heavyweights of his generation.
Despite Klitschko losing out to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, the Ukrainian’s reign in the heavyweight division was nothing short of special.
Finishing his journey with a professional record of 64-5, the former unified champion’s 11-year career helped to define an era of heavyweight boxing.
In 2008, Klitschko was able to add a legend to his resume as he defended his unified world titles.
Wladimir Klitschko was paired with Hasim Rahman in 2008 title fight
After winning nine fights in a row after a loss to Lamon Brewster for the vacant WBO World Heavyweight title in 2004, Klitschko took on Hasim Rahman.
Rahman is best known for an upset victory over Lennox Lewis in 2001, where he became a unified world champion.
As Lewis was able to get revenge on Rahman later that year, ‘The Rock’ lost his heavyweight crown. He would be able to get his hands on the WBC title in 2005, but lost it the following year.
Aiming to become a three-time champion, Rahman challenged the IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Klitschko in December 2008.
Fighting in Mannheim, Germany, Rahman was coming off a no-contest fight with James Toney. As for defending champion Klitschko, he had knocked out Tony Thompson five months earlier.
Klitschko had a 51-3 record going into the title fight in Germany. As for 36-year-old Rahman, his record stood at 45-6-2. Prior to the fight with Toney, Rahman earned four wins in a row, including three TKO victories.
Despite Rahman being a former champion, he was not able to offer Klitschko a tough challenge.
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Wladimir Klitschko brutalized Hasim Rahman for seven rounds
It would be nothing short of a dominant performance for Klitschko against Rahman. Winning the opening five rounds of the bout, Klitschko would then put Rahman down in the sixth.
Three left hooks in a row would put Rahman down, who then received a warning from the referee between rounds.
Footage posted by HBO Boxing shows the referee saying to Rahman, “If you continue to take punches like that, I’m not going to let [the fight continue].”
In the opening minute of round seven, Klitschko picked up where he left off, landing heavy punches. The referee intervened, calling off the bout.
At the time of the stoppage, one judge had a remarkable scorecard of 60-47. This means the referee potentially scored five of the six completed rounds 10-8 for Klitschko, with another 10-7 round.