Does Holyfield Deserve Title Shot Against Ibragimov?

By Boxing News - 09/04/2007 - Comments

holyfield1122334455.jpg Four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-8-2, 27 KOs) is poised to win his fifth heavyweight title next month when he travels to Moscow, Russia to take on undefeated WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov (21-0, 17 KOs) on October 13th. Never mind that Holyfield, 44, has done little to deserve a shot at the title since making his comeback to boxing following a two-year suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission due to “diminishing skills” following three consecutive losses to Chris Byrd, James Toney and Larry Donald.

Since making his comeback, Holyfield, ranked # 13 in the WBO, has faced in the following order: Jeremy Bates, Fres Oquendo, Vinny Maddalone and Lou Savarese. None of them, however, are ranked in the top 10, a fact which makes his shot at a title rather unfair given the fact that he’s essentially leapfrogged over 12 other fighters that are ranked ahead of him in the WBO. In the old days, a fighter had to earn his way to title contention by fighting and beating the best fighters, slowly working his way to the # 1 spot. However, in Holyfield’s case, all of that has seemed to have been thrown on the window to allow Holyfield yet another shot at a title.

It’s convenient that Holyfield, who will be turning 45 six days after he challenges for the title, is fighting Ibragimov, 32, a fighter considered to be the weakest of the four heavyweight champions. Ideally, Holyfield should have – if serious about wanting to hold all the titles at some point – taken on Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF heavyweight champion and the one considered to be the best of the champions by far. Minus Wladimir being unavailable, then perhaps Oleg Maskaev, the WBC heavyweight champion. Why not take on those to fighters if Holyfield is at all serious about wanting to be the best.

In Holyfield’s last fight, on June 30, 2007, he won a 10-round decision over 42-year old Lou Savarese, a fighter also making a comeback. Again, this isn’t the type of fight that should be used to propel Holyfield into a title shot considering Savarese’s status of not being ranked at the time of the fight.



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