Monday, Aug. 14, 2006 | 7:28 a.m.
His best hope for a unified heavyweight championship had just been vanquished, yet promoter Bob Arum was able to retain a wry sense of humor.
With Hasim Rahman's loss to Kazakhstan native Oleg Maskaev, the heavyweight division had officially become the "borscht belt of boxing" for its distinct Russian flavor, Arum quipped.
All four men with a claim to the division's fractured title hail from the former Soviet Union.
Besides Maskaev, there's Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF champ every contender and pretender wants to face. (Rahman even acknowledged last week he was "looking ahead" to a date with Klitschko if he could get past Maskaev.)
Then there's Nikolay Valuev (WBA), the undefeated seven-foot wild card who has fought his past dozen bouts in Germany.
And Sergei Liakhovich (WBO), who watched from ringside Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center as Maskaev dismantled Rahman by 12th-round technical knockout in the most entertaining and exciting heavyweight fight in more than three years.
"I consider myself a proud Russian-American," Maskaev (33-5, 26 knockouts) said after wresting the WBC belt from Rahman. "This is a message to everyone: Russian fighters are good and they're tough."
With Rahman TKO'd from the picture, heavyweight contender Calvin Brock of Charlotte, N.C., nominated himself as America's next line of defense against the Soviet bloc fighters.
Brock, who improved to 29-0 by outpointing Timor Ibragimov in June at Caesars Palace, is a promotional free agent.
"The question is, do you want a U.S. American heavyweight champion?" Brock said Saturday night. "If Oleg Maskaev is ready to take on the best, I'm ready and willing any time he is."
Liakhovich, who has promotional ties to Don King, was campaigning for a shot at either Maskaev or Klitschko, who is scheduled to fight Shannon Briggs on Nov. 11 in New York.
"This is not about where these guys come from," Liakhovich said. "I come from Belarus, now I live (in the U.S.), like Oleg. It's like your great-great grandparents who came to America and helped build this country.
"Everyone talks about unifying the belts. I'm here, I'm ready. Let's see who's the best heavyweight in the world."
Klitschko's adviser Shelly Finkel said he would evaluate the situation after the Briggs fight.
"I don't negotiate in public," Finkel said. "I think (Brock) is a great prospect. Time will tell if he gets a title shot. Wladimir is fighting in November. After that, hopefully he'll move on to one of these guys (Brock or Liakhovich). One step at a time."
Rahman (41-6-2) attributed the Eastern bloc's quadruple crown to American fighters being "a little too spoiled." But Rahman should blame his loss on a strategic misstep rather than any softness.
Using his jab effectively, Rahman maintained a narrow advantage through the first nine rounds as Maskaev seemed content to wait for an ideal time to fire his powerful right hand.
As he faded in the final three rounds, Rahman left himself open more frequently and allowed a rejuvenated Maskaev to take control.
"Maskaev got his second wind, and Hasim couldn't recover," Rahman's trainer Thell Torrence said. "He didn't stick to the game plan. He was supposed to come out behind the jab. ...
"Hasim probably would have gotten his second wind later on, but the fight was over."
Maskaev staggered Rahman with a big right hand and followed with a series of cleanly landed punches before referee Jay Nady called it off at 2 minutes, 17 seconds into Round 12.
For the crowd of 8,842 at the Thomas & Mack, it was a satisfying finish to a riveting heavyweight showdown. Arum and other ringside observers called it the division's best fight since Lennox Lewis' stoppage of Vitali Klitscko in June 2003.
"I thought he was getting tired," Rahman said. "I guess I abandoned my jab to go for the bigger shots. ...
"I'm really disappointed. I'm going to have to watch the tape to see what I did wrong. I didn't think he would take away the world title here in Las Vegas."
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