To Hasim Rahman, showdown with Holyfield is a must-win fight

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - Hasim Rahman has a bright future, and he doesn&#39;t want to waste a moment. <br> <br> Rahman faces Evander Holyfield in a heavyweight matchup Saturday night in a bout lacking the luster of a title fight. The importance of the outcome isn&#39;t lost on Rahman, who describes the bout as a must-win benchmark in his career. <br> <br> Rahman said Wednesday, ``If I can&#39;t beat Evander Holyfield, I can&#39;t be the heavyweight champion of the world. I&#39;m in it to be the best, not just his opponent.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 29-year-old Rahman, who won the heavyweight title last year with a shocking knockout of Lennox Lewis, lost it seven months later. He refers to his short time as champ as ``a little appetizer.&#39;&#39; Now, he&#39;s hungry for more. <br> <br> He says, ``I want the main course.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> To get it, Rahman must go through the 39-year-old Holyfield (37-5-2), a four-time champion whose only bout in the last two and one-half years was against John Ruiz. The two fought to a draw December 15 and split two previous meetings in 2001 and 2000. <br> <br> Holyfield hopes a victory over Rahman will put him line to fight Lewis or Mike Tyson for the title. He discounts the suggestion that this is a must-win fight. <br> <br> Holyfield said, ``I don&#39;t put myself in the position of &#39;must anything.&#39; I just go out and do my best and hope to win. If not, I get back in line.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 12-round bout is taking place a week before the Lewis-Tyson championship fight.