Boxing: Rahman is Last Man Standing

If Hasim Rahman is beaten when he defends the World Boxing Council version of the world heavyweight title against Oleg Maskaev at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas tonight, an eastern European stranglehold will be complete in a division where Americans have dominated for most of the last century.

The likes of Lennox Lewis, the German Max Schmelling and Sweden's Ingemar Johansson have enjoyed periods when they were recognised as the world's best, but ever since the American Jack Johnson became the first black man to hold the title in 1908, it has been big men from the United States who have, more often than not, won what was once known as "The Richest Prize in Sport".

Since the retirement of Lewis, coinciding with the decline of Mike Tyson, the world's heavyweights have been in a parlous state. The Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko looked the best, but was forced to retire through injury. Now Klitschko's glass-chinned younger brother Vladimir holds the IBF heavyweight belt, the Russian giant Nicolai Valuev is the WBA champion and Sergei Lyakhovich of Belarus is No1 with the WBO.

Valuev is perhaps the biggest draw, due as much as anything to his freakish 7ft 2in, 23-stone frame, but the status of the heavyweights has lessened dramatically since the time when Tyson and Evander Holyfield were paid what now seems an almost unbelievable $30m each for their second fight in June 1997.

The decline of heavyweight boxing as an attraction for young Americans is attributed to the fortunes being paid to the young stars of basketball and American Football. Now Rahman, 33, knows he is fighting to prevent the end of an era. "I feel an added responsibility," he says. "I need to hold it down for my country. If I lose this fight, I let myself, my family, my team and my country down."

Technically Maskaev, 37, is American, living in New York after acquiring US nationality two years ago. But he was born in Kazakhstan to Russian parents and served in the Soviet army. He is a solid puncher who has won his last 10 contests and recorded a shock eighth-round knock-out win over Rahman when they fought for the first time seven years ago.

The loss is typical of the inconsistent Rahman, who is best remembered for knocking out Lennox Lewis in five rounds when they met in South Africa in 2001 (though Lewis knocked him out in four when they met again seven months later).

"A lot of Americans get twisted as soon as we get a little success. We go out and buy a bunch of cars, a bunch of jewellery, and be at everything . . . let everybody know we're somebody when, in actuality, we haven't accomplished anything," Rahman says, undoubtedly speaking from experience.

But Rahman is now fighting with renewed dedication, should have enough armoury to gain his revenge over Maskaev and win by a stoppage in the second half of a contest dubbed "America's Last Line of Defense" to set up a possible New Year meeting with Vladimir Klitschko.