EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: HASIM RAHMAN

How's training camp going for March 18?
"It's going better than expected. I'm in tremendous shape already and I'm looking forward to taking my career to the next level and James Toney is in the way."

GL: A couple of the people in the Toney camp told me they were concerned you wouldn't show up on March 18 since you haven't signed a contract yet. What do you have to say about that?

Hasim Rahman: "I can give you 100% assurance that I will be there on March 18. Top Rank and I are partners in this venture and that's just a mere formality. What other way can I get to punch James in the mouth without having any recourse."

GL: I told James that you concede he's a quicker fighter and slicker, but you feel that you're stronger. He doesn't agree with that and he says by the time he's done with you you're going to know what's up. James says he's coming to fight and he hopes you don't start running from a middleweight. How do you respond?

Hasim Rahman: "I don't know how to run. Two, if he stands there and tries to fight me he will be getting knocked out. By the end of the first round James is going to be running. He will run."

GL: What are you going to do to make James Toney run?

Hasim Rahman: "I'm going to hit him and once I hit him he ain't going to be able to stand up to this. He ain't never been hit as hard as I'm going to hit him. Once he starts getting hit with these punches there's not going to be anyone he could spar with that could get him ready for me."

GL: Is it easy to find sparring for him and who are some of the guys you've been preparing with?

Hasim Rahman: "James is a one of a kind guy so nobody is going to be just like James. But I just get quick guys with speed and do what I do. His speed won't be a problem; I'm going to be ready for his speed."

GL: Obviously you feel you're stronger than James is so you might want to bring the heat, but based on the fact that he's a mast counter puncher will cause you to be cautiously aggressive?

Hasim Rahman: "I maintain that he's always been a heavyweight, so for him to say I'm running from a middleweight...I don't know what makes him think he's going to be the first fighter I start running from. I know one thing; everything I hit him with is going to hurt."

GL: Do you consider James Toney the most skilled fighter you've ever had to face?

Hasim Rahman: "I would have to say so, but I'm also at my best when I have to deal with what is perceived as the most difficult task. When I come up and shine that's when I'm going to be at my best because I can't take a short cut like I would take with lesser fighters that I think are going to be easy work for me. When I train like its easy work it proves to be far more difficult than what I trained for. Now I'm training for a hard task and with me putting in such hard work I perceive that the fight on March 18 isn't going to be difficult at all."

GL: So it's a situation where you're looking at the camp being tougher than the fight?

Hasim Rahman: "Absolutely."

GL: Does Toney's experience concern you?

Hasim Rahman: "James never experienced being hurt. When has James really been hurt badly in a fight. Everybody gets hurt to where they can cover it up and you can't tell, but when was the last time James had to come up off the canvas and really knock somebody out. When has James been in heavyweight trouble? James has a lot of questions to answer himself."

GL: James says he's coming in the shape he was in for the Evander Holyfield fight.

Hasim Rahman: "I wish he would come in that shape. If that's the best he could do he might as well not show up. I'm preparing for that James. I'm preparing for the best James ever. He's a little boy to me and I'm going to show him what a younger, stronger fighter can do!"

GL: Should the winner of your fight with Toney or the Byrd-Klitschko fight be considered the heavyweight champion? Or do you think the winners need to unify to answer that question?

Hasim Rahman: "Obviously this can be a debate. My point of view is that we're fighting for the linear championship so the winner of our fight is going to be the linear champion. I don't have a problem with fighting any of the other champions, but I do recognize the winner of March 18 as the heavyweight champion. I think the winner of Byrd and Klitschko is the number one guy who should be able to challenge for the title?."

GL: Above Lamon Brewster?

Hasim Rahman: "Oh yeah."

GL: Who do you like in Byrd-Klitschko?

Hasim Rahman: "I think Byrd got a good chance. Klitschko definitely shown signs that he's not what he was five years ago and as long as Byrd can fight and make him miss, I think Klitschko has a tendency of fatiguing early and if Chris can exploit that I think he can win the fight. Over in Germany I say it's a 50-50 fight but if it was in America I would favor Byrd. I just think Chris is giving him more of a chance to win by going to Germany as opposed to if he fought here in America."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

Hasim Rahman: "I'm going to knock James out and it might very well be early. I think James thinks he can stand up to my power and I don't think he can. He's not terribly difficult to figure out. I've seen him give a lot of people a lot of problems, but I'm going to give him the biggest problem of his career because I'm knocking him out. Boxingtalk, we're going to bring in 2006 the right way and we're going to have the number one heavyweight on the number one site in the boxing industry and y'all know where to get it from. This is where you get it from, you get it hot out the mouth, I'm going to be the first guy to stop James Toney and then you're going to hear from me in the chats and the hottest interviews and hopefully Greg keeps them free."