Povetkin vs Rahman: Hasim Rahman not talking much ahead of title clash in Germany

Veteran American Hasim Rahman faces Alexander Povetkin for the WBA "regular" heavyweight title this Saturday in Germany, with Epix televising in the US, along with BoxNation in the UK and ARD in Germany. Epix's Chris Mannix caught up with Rahman at the open workout.

Chris Mannix, Epix: "Hasim, you're 39 years old. It seems like you do have nine lives, though, in boxing. After you lost to Wladimir Klitschko in 2008, did you expect to get an opportunity like this again?"

Hasim Rahman: "Well, no. Absolutely not. I was thinking about retiring. I changed promotional outfits. I got on a mission. We set out to fight for the WBA championship, we fought a number of times, and here we are."

Mannix: "You came in heavy for your last fight, I think 284 pounds. Is your conditioning better for this fight?"

Rahman: "Little bit. Little bit. I don't think I'm quite 284. Maybe 274."

Mannix: "You had a wrist injury, needed surgery. that's what postponed the (original date). How's the wrist feeling now?"

Rahman: "Feels OK. It feels OK right now. I didn't hit Povetkin in the jaw yet, so I'll see how it feels then."

[ Related: Povetkin interview with Chris Mannix ]

Mannix: "You have been inactive for about 15 months. Are you worried at all about being sharp in the ring?"

Rahman: "I don't plan on being in the ring long."

Mannix: "You are fighting a guy that's an accomplished boxer, you are fighting in Europe. Is this a knockout or burst situation for you?"

Rahman: "I feel like the cards are stacked against me, so, yeah, I gotta knock him out."

Mannix: "You look around at the promotional stuff. You don't see your face on any of the posters here. Do you feel like they're looking past you a little bit?"

Rahman: "That's why it's, like, rare for me to give an interview. I'm really just not talking to anybody. But I feel like y'all play fair, so we're here. But that's good for them. They won't have the champion on any of their posters."

Bad Left Hook will have live round-by-round coverage of the Povetkin vs Rahman card on Saturday afternoon.