Shortly after Ibragimov's decision victory over Shannon Briggs to win the WBO belt in June 2007, Ibragimov signed the contract to face then-WBA world heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev in a unification showdown that would take place in Moscow on 13 October 2007. "I gotta be honest – I've never had easier negotiations in my career. Right after beating Briggs, Ibragimov told me that he wanted to face a world champion in his next fight, in the end we contacted members of Ruslan Chagaev's team and agreed on everything", said the president of Seminole Warriors Boxing promotion company Leon Margules during the first pre-fight press-conference, "Both Sultan and Ruslan are true fighters. They are not interested in easy fights and title defenses against mandatory challengers. They want to unify belts and once again return prestige to the heavyweight division. I'm confident that the winner of this fight will eventually become the undisputed heavyweight champion".[2][3] It was going to be the first heavyweight unification fight since 1999 and the third boxing event considered major for Moscow since WBC world heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev defended his title against Okello Peter and heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin faced fringe contender Larry Donald.[4][5]
On 31 July 2007, it was officially announced that the unification showdown was cancelled due to Chagaev suffering from an aggravation of gastric problems. It was later reported that Chagaev had been diagnosed with hepatitis B.[6] Instead, former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield agreed to step in as a last-minute replacement.[7] In the build up, Ibragimov praised Holyfield for his legendary career: "I remember watching his legendary heavyweight fights of the 90s when I was young. Some of them were unforgettable, like those against Riddick Bowe. Of course [back then] I couldn't imagine that I would fight Holyfield one day." He also added: "In the training camp, we put a lot of emphasis on defense. Holyfield is a dirty fighter who uses his head and elbows a lot."[8][9][10] For the fight, Holyfield weighed in at 211.5 pounds, his lightest since 1996.
The fight
The beginning of the fight was tentative, with Ibragimov mostly staying on the outside and avoiding exchanges, keeping Holyfield at bay with fast combinations. By the third round, Ibragimov began to take control of the fight. In the fifth round, Ibragimov's in-ring dominance became more visible after he was able to hurt Holyfield with combinations to the head and body, and by the seventh the fight took on one-sided manner as Holyfield appeared to be unable to keep up with his younger foe. Holyfield had some success in the eighth, hurting Ibragimov with a counter body shot and a straight right hand. Ibragimov appeared to be unwilling to end the fight inside the distance in order not to walk into a game-changing counter punch. The championship rounds saw Holyfield unsuccessfully going for the knockout, as Ibragimov was able to effectively neutralize Holyfield's offense and hurt Holyfield with precise body shots. Ultimately, the fight went full twelve rounds, with Ibragimov being declared the winner by unanimous decision, successfully defending his WBO world heavyweight title. The judges scored the bout 117–111 (twice) and 118–110.[11][12]
Aftermath
Ibragimov would agree to faceIBF champion Wladimir Klitschko in the first heavyweight unification bout since 1999, losing his title in a unanimous decision before retiring. Holyfield would spend more than a year out of ring before facingWBA champion Nikolai Valuev where he would be on the end of a controversial majority decision ending his hopes of beating George Foreman's record as the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
Undercard
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2018)
sultan, ibragimov, evander, holyfield, professional, boxing, match, contested, october, 2007, heavyweight, championship, date13, october, 2007venuekhodynka, palace, moscow, russiatitle, linewbo, heavyweight, titletale, tapeboxersultan, ibragimovevander, holyfi. Sultan Ibragimov vs Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on 13 October 2007 for the WBO heavyweight championship 1 Sultan Ibragimov vs Evander HolyfieldDate13 October 2007VenueKhodynka Ice Palace Moscow RussiaTitle s on the lineWBO heavyweight titleTale of the tapeBoxerSultan IbragimovEvander HolyfieldNickname The Real Deal HometownRostov on Don Rostov Oblast RussiaAtlanta Georgia United StatesPre fight record21 0 142 8 2Height6 ft 2 in 188 cm 6 ft 2 1 2 in 189 cm Weight219 lb 99 kg 211 1 2 lb 96 kg StyleSouthpawOrthodoxRecognitionWBO heavyweight champion2 division undisputed world championResultIbragimov defeated Holyfield via Unanimous Decision Contents 1 Background 2 The fight 3 Aftermath 4 Undercard 5 ReferencesBackground EditShortly after Ibragimov s decision victory over Shannon Briggs to win the WBO belt in June 2007 Ibragimov signed the contract to face then WBA world heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev in a unification showdown that would take place in Moscow on 13 October 2007 I gotta be honest I ve never had easier negotiations in my career Right after beating Briggs Ibragimov told me that he wanted to face a world champion in his next fight in the end we contacted members of Ruslan Chagaev s team and agreed on everything said the president of Seminole Warriors Boxing promotion company Leon Margules during the first pre fight press conference Both Sultan and Ruslan are true fighters They are not interested in easy fights and title defenses against mandatory challengers They want to unify belts and once again return prestige to the heavyweight division I m confident that the winner of this fight will eventually become the undisputed heavyweight champion 2 3 It was going to be the first heavyweight unification fight since 1999 and the third boxing event considered major for Moscow since WBC world heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev defended his title against Okello Peter and heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin faced fringe contender Larry Donald 4 5 On 31 July 2007 it was officially announced that the unification showdown was cancelled due to Chagaev suffering from an aggravation of gastric problems It was later reported that Chagaev had been diagnosed with hepatitis B 6 Instead former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield agreed to step in as a last minute replacement 7 In the build up Ibragimov praised Holyfield for his legendary career I remember watching his legendary heavyweight fights of the 90s when I was young Some of them were unforgettable like those against Riddick Bowe Of course back then I couldn t imagine that I would fight Holyfield one day He also added In the training camp we put a lot of emphasis on defense Holyfield is a dirty fighter who uses his head and elbows a lot 8 9 10 For the fight Holyfield weighed in at 211 5 pounds his lightest since 1996 The fight EditThe beginning of the fight was tentative with Ibragimov mostly staying on the outside and avoiding exchanges keeping Holyfield at bay with fast combinations By the third round Ibragimov began to take control of the fight In the fifth round Ibragimov s in ring dominance became more visible after he was able to hurt Holyfield with combinations to the head and body and by the seventh the fight took on one sided manner as Holyfield appeared to be unable to keep up with his younger foe Holyfield had some success in the eighth hurting Ibragimov with a counter body shot and a straight right hand Ibragimov appeared to be unwilling to end the fight inside the distance in order not to walk into a game changing counter punch The championship rounds saw Holyfield unsuccessfully going for the knockout as Ibragimov was able to effectively neutralize Holyfield s offense and hurt Holyfield with precise body shots Ultimately the fight went full twelve rounds with Ibragimov being declared the winner by unanimous decision successfully defending his WBO world heavyweight title The judges scored the bout 117 111 twice and 118 110 11 12 Aftermath EditIbragimov would agree to face IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko in the first heavyweight unification bout since 1999 losing his title in a unanimous decision before retiring Holyfield would spend more than a year out of ring before facing WBA champion Nikolai Valuev where he would be on the end of a controversial majority decision ending his hopes of beating George Foreman s record as the oldest heavyweight champion in history Undercard EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it May 2018 Confirmed bouts 13 References Edit Sultan Ibragimov vs Evander Holyfield BoxRec boxrec com Sultan Ibragimov provedet boj s pobeditelem Valueva v Moskve lenta ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Sultan Ibragimov vyzval na boj Ruslana Chagaeva poedinok projdet osenyu v Moskve newsvl ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Sultan Ibragimov i Ruslan Chagaev zaklyuchili kontrakt na obedinitelnyj boj kommersant ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Chempiony vstretyatsya v Moskve gazeta ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Skelton to face Chagaev for WBA heavyweight title USA TODAY Gannett Co Inc Associated Press 6 December 2007 Retrieved 2002 02 16 Holifild risknet uhom v Moskve gazeta ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Sultan Ibragimov Holifild gryaznyj boec sportbox ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Sultan Ibragimov Holifild deretsya gryazno sports ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Ibragimov Holifild opasno rabotaet golovoj i loktyami sportrbc ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Ibragimov zasushil Holifilda utro ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 Sultan Ibragimov pobedil Evandera Holifilda lenta ru in Russian Retrieved 20 July 2020 BoxRec event Preceded byvs Shannon Briggs Sultan Ibragimov s bouts13 October 2007 Succeeded byvs Wladimir KlitschkoPreceded byvs Lou Savarese Evander Holyfield s bouts13 October 2007 Succeeded byvs Nikolai Valuev Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sultan Ibragimov vs Evander Holyfield amp oldid 1142606090, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
