Updated 12:09 AM ET November 18, 2001- The fighters are in the ring.
Round One
The fight is underway. Rahman comes out jabbing. Lewis lands a combination to the body as Rahman continues to jab. Lewis lands an overhand right to the head. Lewis begins to jab, Rahman presses the action. Lewis lands a straight left to the head. Lewis stays on the perimeter of the ring, Rahman is in the middle. Lewis lands a straight left to the head, Rahman counters with a left to the jaw. Rahman connects with jabs, but is bleeding above his left eye.
Round to Lewis
Round Two
Lewis starts out throwing jabs. Lewis is more aggressive with the jab, but both fighters remain cautious. Lewis lands a right hook to the body. Both fighters are warned for hitting behind the head. Lewis jabs and retreats. Rahman lands a combination to the head, but does not hurt Lewis. Lewis continues to jab and then lands a combination to the head followed by a straight left. Rahman looks for a chance, both fighters miss with wild punches at the bell.
Round Three
rainers works on cut above Rahman's left eye between second and third rounds. Lewis comes to the center of the ring and jabs. Lewis is doubling up on jabs to Rahman's head. Rahman is lunging with his punches and is having trouble connecting. Lewis lands a left hook the jaw. Rahman continues to apply pressure. Lewis lands a big overhead right to the temple and returns to the jab. The fighters trade jabs. Rahman lands a lunging left hook that does not hurt Lewis. Lewis stays outside and jabs.
Round to Lewis
Round Four
Lewis lands an overhand right to the ear and backs Rahman into the corner. Rahman lands a right to the chin. Rahman doubles up on the jab, but can't get inside on Lewis. Lewis knocks Rahman with a left-right combination to the head.
Lewis wins via TKO
Round to Lewis
Both fighters gave fans reason not to take boxing seriously with a brawl during a pre-fight interview. On Saturday night, however, Lewis was nothing but business-like as he regained both belts with a fourth-round knockout.
Lewis (39-2-1, 30 KOs) used his height advantage and reach over the first three rounds before displaying his powerful right hand to knock out Rahman 89 seconds into the fourth.
"I've been dreaming all week of changing his name to `Has Been' Rahman," Lewis said. "I didn't take him serious enough in Africa. I was in shape, but I wasn't focused enough. With one punch, anything can happen."
The 36-year-old Lewis was ahead on all three judges' cards entering the fourth round Saturday. He began the round with an overhand right to Rahman's ear. After Rahman landed a few jabs, Lewis threw a winging left that grazed Rahman's chin before connecting solidly with a right cross.
Rahman was knocked on his back and managed to get to his knees at the count of three but crumbled back into the corner.
"Tonight, I was very focused," Lewis said. "I didn't want to get involved with the hoopla. I wanted to give him some movement, he couldn't take the movement. I wanted to show him a different style, a different style of movement."
Lewis was coming off his second knockout loss. In September 1994, he was stopped by Oliver McCall and has had his chin questioned by critics ever since. Just as he did with Rahman, Lewis avenged his first defeat when he scored a technical knockout of McCall in February 1997.
Rahman (35-3, 29 KOs) was lightly regarded when he shocked the boxing world on April 21 with a fifth-round knockout of Lewis. On Saturday, Rahman never got the chance to test Lewis's chin.
"He was attackking more than last time, he didn't give me the opportunity to counter," Rahman said. "There ain't no dominant champions. He threw a nice, hard right hand, I didn't see it coming. He threw it off the hook. I give him credit, he's the champion. It wasn't so much his jab as his footwork."