TULSA, OK – For many years, Zahir Raheem has tried to shake the moniker of being a “boring fighter,” yet it seemed as though he would forever be labeled as a snoozer. Prior to his last fight on January 4, 2008, Raheem vowed to show the boxing world that he has the ability to bring plenty of excitement into the squared circle. Many probably laughed that off as your run of the mill pre-fight promotion, however Raheem showed that he was serious.
At the 1:18 mark of the first round, Raheem put the finishing touches on tough contender Ricardo Dominguez, who came into the bout with a very impressive mark of 23-2-2, 15 KO’s. Dominguez had nothing but praise for Raheem after the bout.
“Before the fight I was told he was not a big puncher,” said Dominguez, “But when he hit me, I saw death.”
The knockout not only impressed Dominguez, but the nationwide ESPN2 audience.
“I’m glad he wasn’t hurt,” said Raheem, now 29-2, 17 KO’s. “While I love to knock guys out, I don’t want to hurt anyone, this is a sport.”
Raheem knew that he had landed a good punch the minute he landed it.
“I knew he was hurt right away,” said Raheem. “I felt the shot in my arm and just knew that it was a great shot.”
Despite the impressive knockout, there continue to be many who don’t believe that Raheem has the ability to be exciting, but he will not let this deter him.
“’08 is gonna be great for me,” said Raheem. “I know people think I am boring, but as I said before the fight, as long as I am in top notch fighting condition I will be able to show the world just how exciting I can be. I feel great, I feel strong and all I can say is look out as I am training with a vengeance.”