Sultan Ibragimov retires – Boxing

By Erik Schmidt: Former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (22-1-1, 17 KO’s) has reportedly retired, according to Scoop Malinowski from Boxing Insider. Samson Lewkowicz, from Warriors Boxing, says that “He’s [Ibragimov] retired. He doesn’t want to go back and sweat in the gym. He got married, he’s happy, he lives in Russia,” says Lewkowicz. Apparently, Ibragimov made a lot of money while challenging for a defending the WBO heavyweight title and came out a millionaire.

read more

Was It A Waste Of Time For Klitschko To Fight Ibragimov?

wladimir457536.jpgBy Nick Adams: I was one of the vocal minority who felt that IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) was wasting his time in taking a unification fight with WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (22-1-1, 17 KOs) last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. I thought nothing good could possibly come of such a bout, since few people would bestow upon Wladimir any more respect and love for beating Ibragimov, a fighter that few consider a really talented fighter, than he would get by fighting someone else instead.

I saw the small 6’1″ southpaw Ibragimov as nothing more than a younger version of Chris Byrd, the type of fighter that fights mostly defensively, and one who only fights in brief bursts when he sees a small opening. It was a fighter that Wladimir, 31, only had a small chance of looking good in, and only way that would happen is if he was willing to go all out and force some right hands through the guard of Ibragimov to bring him down.

read more

Klitschko Wins Boring Decision

klitschko35333.jpgBy Eric Schmidt: IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) won a listless safety first 12-round unanimous decision over WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov (22-1-1, 17 KOs) tonight at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The bout was important in that Klitschko, 31, unified one of the titles, the WBO, which he took from Ibragimov in getting the victory. Rarely did Klitschko attempt a right hand, mostly using his jab to keep the much smaller Ibragimov on the outside. Though he tried to make a fight of it, Ibragimov was simply too short, too weak and too slow to do much with Wladimir.

It didn’t help Ibragimov much that Wladimir was only using his jab, leaning back most of the time, which prevented the counter-punching Ibragimov few opportunities to land his own shots. On the occasions that Ibragimov would come forward to attempt to land a punch, Klitschko would often dart backwards out of range of Ibragimov. What was most frustrating, however, was the fact that Klitschko wouldn’t let his hands go, in particular his right hand. He did, however, began using it sparingly from rounds six though twelve, but it was still a rare event when he did.

read more

Klitschko Ibragimov Notes

Alexa Ray Joel To Perform National Anthem: If there’s one surname synonymous with New York and music, it’s “Joel”. So it’s fitting that on the biggest night in boxing in the sport’s Mecca, Madison Square Garden, rising star Alexa Ray Joel will sing the National Anthem before the world heavyweight title unification bout between WBO Champion Sultan Ibragimov and IBF Champion Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday, February 23rd..

“Having Alexa Ray is a great addition to this historic event at the Garden,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions.

read more

Ibragimov vs. Klitschko: Sizing Up Sultan & Wladimir

By Jim Slattengren: This Saturday night, IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs) will be attempting to unify the title when he goes up against WBO heavyweight champion Sultain Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. Not too many people are giving Ibragimov much of a shot in this one due to a variety of problems that are going against him such as his lack of size and power. Below, I’ve measured the two fighters out and gave my opinion of how they size up against each other.

read more

Ibragimov vs. Klitschko: Will A Win Over Sultan Bring Fame For Wladimir?

By Jim Dower: So far, IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs) has failed to ignite the interest of the fans as a whole, many who see him as a fighter with a questionable chin, and a soft resume littered with mostly unknown fighters. That’s likely not to change come February 23rd, when Klitschko meets up with WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs), who is a fighter mostly only known to boxing insiders. Through no fault of his own, Wladimir is fighting in a time that there are few appealing heavyweights with which for him to earn fame and carve out a name for himself.

read more

Klitschko-Ibragimov: Wladimir Stuck With Another Dull Opponent

wladimir-ibragimov35353.jpgBy Eric Schmidt: Much as International Boxing Federation heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs) would like to have you believe that his fight with World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs) on February 23rd is an appealing fight, I find it hard to buy into his way of thinking.

On paper it might be a vaguely interesting bout, only because of Ibragimov being an a still undefeated champion, but when you weight in all the other factors, like size difference, speed, power, level of competition fought, recent history, it comes out heavily on Wladimir’s side.

In point of fact, this fight has mismatch written all over it no matter how good Ibragimov’s inflated record may look. It seems as if Klitschko is taking this unification fight with the idea that he’ll be one step closer to proving conclusively that he is the top heavyweight in the division.

read more

Klitschko vs. Ibragimov Tickets Selling Out Fast!

In somewhat of a shocker, tickets for the heavyweight unification match between International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs) and World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (21-0, 17 KOs), slated for February 23rd, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, is reportedly almost sold out, according to the latest boxing news. Up until recently, the fight had hardly generated a peep of interest, aside from the few fans of Klitschko and Ibragimov. However, for the average fan, this fight, up until now, has not been an appealing fight.

read more

Is Wladimir Klitschko Overlooking Ibragimov?

By Jim Slattengren: In recent interviews, International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs) has seemed confident about his chances for victory over undefeated World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (21-0, 17 KOs) in their February 23rd bout at Madison Square Garden. There’s nothing wrong with being confident on oneself, but when it moves beyond that into an area of a fighter appearing smug, which I seem to have noticed in Klitschko, than it’s a problem.

read more

Wladimir Klitschko vs Sultan Ibragimov Update

wladimir46464.jpgThe training camp of WBO Heavyweight Champion Sultan Ibragimov is in full swing, and as the champ prepares for his February 23rd unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko in New York’s Madison Square Garden, the action at the South Florida gym affectionately referred to as “Sultan’s House” has been fast and furious, something trainer Jeff Mayweather has been very pleased with..

“Sultan came into this camp in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in, and he’s getting better and better by the day,” said Mayweather. “His speed for a heavyweight still amazes me, and I know Klitschko is not going to be able to handle it on fight night.”

With five weeks to go before the highly-anticipated clash, Ibragimov began sparring this week for the fight of his life, and he couldn’t be happier.

read more