Hasim Rahman's Comeback at 53 Collapses Before It Starts

Hasim Rahman won't be climbing back through the ropes on August 18 after all. The former unified heavyweight champion, now 53 and out of the ring for more than 12 years, had a six-round return booked in Rochester, New York — and per boxing journalist Dan Rafael, both the fight and the entire card have been scrapped.

Rahman was slated to face 42-year-old Robert Simms in what he'd framed as the first step toward an audacious goal: breaking George Foreman's record as the oldest man to win a heavyweight title. Rafael, reporting the cancellation, added that he wasn't remotely surprised it fell through.

The Record He Was Chasing

Foreman set that mark in 1994, dethroning Michael Moorer for the IBF and WBA belts with a 10th-round knockout at age 45. That came after a unanimous-decision loss to Tommy Morrison in his prior title shot, and years removed from the era when he traded blows with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. To top it, Rahman would have needed to win a belt in his mid-50s — a full decade older than Foreman managed.

Why It Mattered

Rahman's own resume gives the ambition a bit of weight, at least on paper. He shocked Lennox Lewis with a fifth-round stoppage in 2001 to grab the title, lost it in the fourth round of the immediate rematch, then clawed back the WBC belt and defended it with a 2006 draw against James Toney. That makes him a two-time champion — rare company shared with Foreman.

The difference is timing. Rahman said he intends to eventually break Foreman's record, but at 53 and with over a decade of inactivity, the math was always brutal. For now, the comeback is on hold before it ever produced a punch, and there's no word on whether he'll try to rebook once a new promoter or venue steps up.