There are many excuses Lennox Lewis could use after losing the biggest prize in all of sports.

The former "undisputed" heavyweight champ might have been overconfident against the 15-1 underdog Hasim Rahman. He might have undertrained at his Las Vegas camp. He might have lost focus by taking part in the filming of a "Ocean's Eleven" remake before leaving the U.S. for Johannesburg, South Africa only 11 days ago. The 6,000-foot altitude of the Carnival City Casino might have affected him.

	Hasim Rahman, left, lands a punch on Lennox Lewis during the second round early Sunday. Lewis left himself unprotected many times during his loss.

Nah.

If the fight were at sea level and Lewis was in the best shape of his life, he still would have been knocked cold by the big right hand Rahman landed to the point of his chin that ended the fight at 2:32 of the fifth round early Sunday.

Rahman, now 35-2 with 29 KOs, won Lewis' World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles, but more important, the Baltimore resident won universal recognition as the heavyweight champion of the world.

Only James J. Braddock's 15-round decision over Max Baer in 1935, Cassius Clay's seventh-round stoppage of Sonny Liston in '64, and James 'Buster' Douglas' 10th-round KO of Mike Tyson in 1990 rank higher on the upset list in heavyweight championship history. And speaking of 'Iron Mike', Rahman yelled – "No Lennox and Tyson!" – over and over again after referee Daniel van de Wiele counted Lewis out.

Tyson, who was trying to position himself into a $100-million bout with Lewis for possibly this fall, was also a loser in Sunday's upset.

"That's what happens in heavyweight boxing," understated Lewis, who fell to 38-2-1. "You get hit with a big punch and don't beat the count, they stop the fight. It was a good shot. I was throwing a punch at the same time and his landed first."

But Lewis lost this bout because he was overconfident and failed to protect his jaw against Rahman they way he did against David Tua and Evander Holyfield.

In the previous four rounds, neither heavyweight landed anything of significance, but Rahman established his jab early, especially to Lewis' stomach. After beating Lewis with a sharp jab in the first two rounds, Rahman stared down the champion after the bell sounded to end the second.

Lewis said he did not underestimate Rahman after the fight, but the ex-champ clearly overlooked his challenger. Lewis weighed in at a career-high 253 pounds, and his lack of shape showed as he was breathing hard by the middle of the second round.

But what really exposed Lewis' lack of respect for Rahman was the manner in which he fought in the first two rounds. Lewis "fought" Wladimir Klitschko, the 6-foot-7 WBO champ he faces in a scene from "Ocean's Seven", with more vigor. If Lewis planned to stop Rahman early like he boasted weeks before the fight, why did he pose and paw in the first six minutes of this fight?

Lewis asserted himself at the beginning of the third round, moving forward behind a hard double jab. Rahman stood his ground, throwing wide shots to Lewis' midsection, but the champion retaliated with two hooks to the challenger's body and head just before the bell.

In the fourth round, Lewis started aggressively, launching lead hooks that backed Rahman up, The challenger answered with punches of his own that failed to land cleanly, but caused the champion to stop punching. Rahman then landed a good right hand followed by three jabs near the round's end.

Lewis stalked Rahman behind a jab-and-hook combination to start the fifth. Rahman moved away from Lewis, but stepped back in range to launch a right hand that landed flush across Lewis' chin midway through the round. Lewis dropped his hands and smiled as Rahman cautiously retreated out of the champion's range.

In the final minute of the round, Rahman backed Lewis up with three jab-hook hybrid punches that failed to land cleanly, but forced the champion to the ropes. With Lewis' back to the ropes, his gloves by his belt line, Rahman threw a perfect overhand right that traveled through the soon-to-be-ex-champion's jaw, jolting his head and dropping the London-native on his back.

Van de Wiele reached a count of nine before he waved the bout off with a semi-conscious Lewis barely able to crawl onto his hands and knees.

"I wasn't nervous, not one time, since this fight was made," Rahman said afterward. "I was going to stick to my game plan or get counted out."

One had to wonder why Lewis held his hands low against a fighter known for his sharp jab. Lewis is only cautious against fighters he's seen knocked out before. Against Holyfield and Tua, fighters known for their solid jaws, Lewis was one of the most careful and cautious heavyweight champions in history. He either storms them early (like last year against Michael Grant and Frans Botha) or he bides his time until he finds an opening (the way he did against Shannon Briggs and Tommy Morrison).

Lewis fought straight up and without concern because he believed Rahman couldn't hurt him. He was wrong. He was thinking about Rahman's KO losses to Oleg Maskaev and Tua, but if he would have stopped those videotapes before the stoppages, he would have seen a fighter dominating two formidable opponents with heart and skill.

But the 35-year-old can have a second chance if he wants it since his contract contains a return-bout clause.

"There's always a next time," Lewis said. "I definitely want a rematch."

"We can do it again," said Rahman, who seemed to draw strength from training in South Africa for the last month. "I want to come back to South Africa. Let's bring Tyson right here in South Africa. Bring me back, South Africa, I love you!"

The new champion is allowed to have one bout in between his rematch with Lewis. Are we ready for Rahman-Tyson?

Last month, Tyson told reporters he recently met Rahman and the new champion's mother at a baseball game. Tyson said he was resistant to meeting Rahman at first because he likes to "hate" possible future opponents.

Tyson may have to find that hate again, especially if he decides to challenge Rahman, who has been long underrated as a heavyweight contender.

He'll really need it if they fight in South Africa.

Undercards ...
In the televised co-feature, International Boxing Federation 122-pound champion Lehlo Ledwaba pitched a near shut out over a game and well-conditioned Carlos Contreras, exhibiting technical excellence in every aspect of the game. The defending champion improved to 33-1-1, dominating Contreras, now 17-5, with an assortment of crisp and accurate combinations to the challenger's body and head en route to official scores of 118-112, 117-112 and 118-110.