Holyfield to Fight Ibragimov

Four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-8, 27 KOs) will get yet another shot at a heavyweight title when he meets up with WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (21-0, 17 KOs) in Moscow, Russia, on October 13, 2007. The chance for Holyfield came about when Ruslan Chagaev, the WBA heavyweight champion, inexplicably pulled out of the fight without giving any explanation.

Whatever the case, Holyfield vs. Ibragimov figures to be the much more interesting bout, and will easily make more money than Chagaev-Ibragimov, which had so far failed to ignite interest in the boxing world, aside from a few fanatics. Previously, there had been rumors in the boxing news about Holyfield potentially taking on Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF heavyweight champion, a bout that would have had Holyfield taking the much harder road in seeking his fifth title than the relatively light-hitting Ibragimov.

As things are, Holyfield has a good chance at beating Ibragimov, if Evander can fight nearly as well as he did in his recent 10-round decision win over Lou Savarese on June 30, 2007.

However, it’s unclear whether Holyfield’s recent success in the ring after two years away, are due to his easy competition or if he is, in fact, once again fighting at a championship level. Holyfield has blamed his dismal boxing performances between 2001 and 2004, in which he lost four times, with one draw and once victory, on a shoulder injury. The shoulder injury has since been healed, he says, after having been surgically repaired.