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05/09/2005 Archived Entry: "Barrett vs. Rahman for Interim WBC Heavyweight Championship"
Barrett vs. Rahman for Interim WBC Heavyweight Championship
Fight to Take Place July 23; Vitali Klitschko Will Have Opportunity to Face Winner; Also, WBC Super Welterweight Champion Castillejo Defends Against Mayorga
LAS VEGAS—Don King announced that former unified heavyweight world champion and current World Boxing Council No. 1-ranked heavyweight contender Hasim “The Rock” Rahman will face No. 2-ranked Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett for the interim WBC heavyweight championship on July 23 at a venue and broadcast network to be determined.
The necessity for an interim title match occurred after current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko suffered an injury while training to face Rahman, which postponed their scheduled April 30 meeting at Madison Square Garden to June 18. The fight was then rescheduled for July 23, but Klitschko was forced to postpone the match again and underwent back surgery on April 19.
WBC Chairman and President Jose Sulaiman said in written correspondence to Don King Productions, “The condition for the acceptance of this fight, is that the winner and new WBC heavyweight interim champion of the world will fight next the WBC heavyweight champion of the world Vitali Klitschko, when he receives the final medical approval.
Klitschko, if his health permits, will face the winner of Rahman vs. Barrett. HBO is holding the date of Sept. 24 to broadcast this match.
King, who is in Las Vegas making final preparations to present the biggest fight of the year—Felix “Tito” Trinidad vs. Winky Wright at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 14, also announced that WBC super welterweight champion Javier Castillejo will make a title defense against former unified world welterweight champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga as a co-feature on the Rahman vs. Barrett fight card.
Rahman, (40-5, 33 KOs) from Baltimore, Md., reached the pinnacle of his career when he shocked Lennox Lewis and the world in 2002 with a fifth-round, right-hand knockout punch that made him the unified world heavyweight champion. Rahman, a third-generation Muslim, became the second from this faith to become heavyweight champion, after Muhammad Ali.
In his last appearance, Rahman weighed in at the best weight since his destruction of Lewis, and it was reflected in his technical knockout of Kali “Checkmate” Meehan at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13, 2004.
Barrett, (31-3, 17 KOs) from Queens, N.Y., arrives at his first world title appearance coming off very impressive back-to-back wins. He won a decision over Dominick Guinn on March 27, 2004, and scored a technical knockout over previously undefeated Owen “What the Heck” Beck on Feb. 5.
