The heavyweight division in boxing has been suffering from identity crisis ever since Lennox Leiws retired as its champion, and last night's brawl in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall between Hasim Rahman and James Toney perpetuated that state. The fight, while more entertaining than some recent big name heavyweight fights, provided no clear winner, with the judges scoring it 117-111 for Rahman and 114-114 twice. I had it 115-113 for Toney, but a majority draw is a fair, solid decision.

Toney, 69-4-3 (43), at over 150 lbs, looked, not surprisingly, like a little bowling ball. But he gauded Rahman into a phonebooth fight and countered with uppercuts and overhand rights while rolling with and weaving under Rahman's artillery. Rahman, 41-5-2 (33), for his part, was in much better shape, was focused, and landed the jab when he could get Toney at long distance. Toney's blows, though they didn't appear to hurt "The Rock", landed in combinations; Rahman, clearly the bigger puncher, didn't let the right hand go as much as he's used to, but clearly showed that if he could connect with Toney's chin, it would be "Light's Out" for his opponent. In the first round, Toney smacked Rahman in the face with some good jabs and weaved effectively under Rahman's punches. Toney countered effectively with a stinging overhand right, but many times threw it off balanced, and when he missed, he went tumbling backwards against the ropes. In the middle rounds, both men began to show signs of fatigue, and when Toney could exchange at close quarters, he had the decided advantage. In rounds 10, 11, and 12, Rahman did a better job of keeping Toney at arms length and throwing combinations, thus sweeping the rounds.

With the draw, Rahman keeps his WBC crown, and the alphabet soup of heavyweight contenders will continue to battle it out over the ensuing months, with IBF titlist Chris Byrd heading to Germany for a date with the once promising Vladamir Klitshcko. Toney, who posesses the gift of the gab (and the gift of the flab), will either get another shot at the heavyweight title or continue to fight top ten heavies, as it does not look llike he is anxious to drop weight any time soon.

As for Rahman, he got in shape and fought well, though he did not dominate or knock out Toney. And since Vitali Klitschko retired as heavyweight champion and the WBC trinket was "given" to Rahman without him having to fight anyone for it, the linear title is still up for grabs.

Will the real heavyweight champion of the world please stand up? We might be waiting a while.