A HAPPY ENDING FOR CINDERELLA MAN

In a surprise ending to a well-fought, almost dead even match, Oleg Maskaev defeated heavyweight champion, Hasim Rahman in a devastating 12th round knockout. Referee Jay Nady called the fight after Maskaev delivered series of right hand blows to a stunned Rahman. Just moments before, Rahman had surprised the crowd by crumpling against the ropes after repeated left hand hooks introduced Rahman to the matt in the first knockdown of the fight. With only 40 seconds left in the final round, the match that had been touted as America's last line of defense had clearly ended in that line's breech. While it is not clear if the infamous "foreign born" fighters have won the war, one thing is for sure: They have won this battle. The only question that remains was posed by HBO's Larry Merchant: "Will Americans accept the fact that all four titles are, as of tonight, held by fighters originating from outside of the United States?"

It was a match that was anybody's game. Had Rahman won the last round, the official scorecard from the judges called the fight a draw. It was an extremely even fight throughout. Rahman dominated with his jabs, but unfortunately for him, was unable to begin a consistent jabbing routine until late in the fight when he was too tired to do any good. Though Rahman tried to avoid the left hooks that eventually drove him to the matt and nearly out of the ring yet again, he was unable to hold on. "I'm extremely disappointed," he said.

The strong and determined Maskaev appeared to be fatigued after the first several rounds of the fight, but clearly he had much left in him. "I thought he was getting tired," Rahman said after the fight, "but he was in better shape than I thought." Maskeav, joking in his post-fight interview, told Merchant, "I'm not that tired."

It was that energy, that race to the finish, that defined this fight. It was a war of attrition, with one fighter proving that he could toe the line as America's heavyweight and the other proving that he had what it took to show the world that not only was he a worthy fighter and a worthy title holder, but that he was a fighter worthy of his country. "I'm a proud Russian-American." Maskaev''s final words.

It's one of the most exciting things that can happen in boxing. A 12th round knockout. And in the case of a division long plagued with cries of dissatisfaction and stagnation, this was an exciting moment that could very well mark the beginning of a battle, not only between the Foreign Heavyweights, but also from each and every one of the Great American Hopes that rise up to beat them.