Hasim Rahman Jr has a new opponent after former UFC title challenger Vitor Belfort pulled out of their boxing match scheduled for this Saturday.
Rahman, the son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, will now face ex-NFL player turned mixed martial artist (and now boxer) Greg Hardy in a headline fight on the DAZN card, after Belfort opted out of the contest for undisclosed reasons. The change comes after Belfort took on another former heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield, in a bout in September of last year, with the UFC veteran stopping Holyfield just over one minute into the first round.
Belfort had been scheduled to face Oscar De La Hoya in the originally-scheduled fight, before De La Hoya withdrew after he contracted Covid-19 in the lead-in to the fight.
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Prayers up for @vitorbelfort get well soon Champ. Inshallah I’ll take care of business Saturday and we can make it happen ‘23. @DAZNBoxing @MisfitsBoxing
— Hasim Rahman Jr. (@_HasimRahmanJr) November 14, 2022
Y’all gonna LOVE this new opponent 😈. Misfits Series 003 DONT BLINK! @DAZNBoxing
— Hasim Rahman Jr. (@_HasimRahmanJr) November 15, 2022
Rahman Jr, meanwhile, was booked to fight Jake Paul this past summer but the fight, and indeed entire card set to take place in Madison Square Garden, was cancelled reportedly due to Rahman Jr experiencing issues with his weight.
As for former Dallas Cowboy Hardy, it will be his first combat sports engagement since he was released from the UFC upon the expiration of his contract after posting three successive losses by KO or TKO. Overall, he holds a 7-5 (1) professional record, and a 4-5 (1) ledger in the UFC.
Hardy most recently fought in March where he was knocked out by Sergey Spivak just past the two minute mark of the first round of their bout in Las Vegas at UFC 272. He won his professional boxing debut last month with a second round knockout of Mike Cook in Florida.
