WLADMIR KLITSCHKO TAKES ON HASIM RAHMAN IN A HEAVYWEIGHT YEAR-ENDER

Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs), from Kiev, Ukraine, returns to the friendly confines of Mannheim for his third fight of the year. The multi-talented knockout artist, who won Olympic gold in 1996, is coming off a July KO win over Tony Thompson.

Baltimore native Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) registered one of the biggest shockers of recent times in 2001 when he knocked out ring legend Lennox Lewis in just five rounds. Entering this fight as a considerable underdog, the battle-tested slugger now looks to capture lightning in a bottle once again.