Sultan Ibragimov vs. Evander Holyfield

Sultan Ibragimov vs. Evander Holyfield

Date	13 October 2007
Venue	Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia
Title(s) on the line	WBO Heavyweight Championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer Sultan Ibragimov Evander Holyfield Nickname None "The Real Deal" Hometown Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast, Russia Atlanta, Georgia, United States Pre-fight record 21–0–1 42–8–2 Height 6'2" 6'2½" Weight 219 lb 211½ lb Style Southpaw Orthodox Recognition WBO Heavyweight Champion WBO No. 11 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Ibragimov defeated Holyfield via Unanimous Decision

Sultan Ibragimov vs. Evander Holyfield, was a professional boxing match contested on 13 October 2007 for the WBO heavyweight championship.^[1]

Background

Following Ibragimov's decision victory over Shannon Briggs to win the WBO belt in June 2007 he agreed to face WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev, however Chagaev contracted hepatitis B and pulled out.

After his poor performance against Larry Donald in November 2004 New York State Athletic Commission suspended the former four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, leading a 21 month absence from the ring. He returned to defeat his next four opponents before agreeing to stand in for Chagaev.

The fight

There were no knockdowns in the bout, which was scored 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 by the judges, giving Ibragimov an unanimous decision victory.^[2]

Aftermath

Ibragimov 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 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

Confirmed bouts:^[3]

References