NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - Two-time former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman continued his comeback by scoring a fourth-round technical knockout over Shannon Miller on Saturday.
The fight was stopped by referee Charlie Fitch - and at the request of Miller's corner - 1:37 into the fourth round after Rahman (47-7-2) sent Miller (16-5-0) to the mat for the fourth time in a main-event fight that was scheduled to go 10 rounds. Rahman, who had knocked Miller woozy in the second round, dealt the final blow with a left jab followed by a right that sent Miller tumbling into his own corner at the Niagara Falls Conference Center.
Though Rahman dominated, Miller got in several good shots, including a solid right hand that stunned his opponent in the first round. Rahman had his right eye partially shut after the fight, noting he wasn't sure if it was punched or thumbed in the eye.
The fight was Rahman's second since a seven-round TKO loss to Wladimir Klitschko in December 2008. The 37-year-old Rahman took all of last year off to both recuperate and evaluate his career before determining to pursue what he calls one final title run.
"The Rock's" comeback began in March, when he scored a first-round TKO over Clinton Boldridge. He said Friday that he intends to fight as soon and as often as possible in a bid to land another title shot - and potentially a rematch against Klitschko - as early as next year.
Rahman sent Miller to the mat in each of the first three rounds, effectively using a left jab to set up a right cross that connected on numerous occasions. Miller was particularly knocked woozy midway through the second round when he was tied up in the corner and took four straight rights from Rahman.
Miller recovered to get back into the middle of the ring only to be caught by a left jab to the chin that sent him tumbling into the ropes and to the mat.
Miller got up each time he was knocked down, including the last time, but didn't argue when learning the fight had been stopped.
In the co-featured event, former Canadian Olympian Donald Orr (15-1) had his undefeated record broken in a bloody eight-round loss to John Mackey of Montgomery, Ala., in a middleweight fight. Mackey (12-5-2), who won by a majority decision, took control early and eventually opened cuts over both of Orr's eyes early in the seventh round.
Two judges scored the fight 77-75 in Mackey's favor, while the other scored it a draw.
Orr, who fought at the 2000 Sidney Games, showed plenty of fight by spending the final two rounds trading heavy punches while wiping blood out of his eyes.
Someone to keep an eye out for is welterweight Hastings Bwalya, of Zambia, who earned a TKO win over Milwaukee's Matt Ellis. Bwalya (4-0), who represented his country at the 2008 Beijing Games, is a hard puncher and thoroughly dominated Ellis (1-2) with several blows - including a hard right-left combination that stunned his opponent - before the fight was stopped 1:21 into the second round.
Light heavyweight Lionell Thompson (3-0), from nearby Buffalo, N.Y., got the crowd on its feet by using a solid left hand that knocked Milwaukee's Jessie Lewis (0-2) halfway through the ropes to score a TKO 2:48 into the first round.
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