Wladimir Klitschko vs. Sultan Ibragimov

After avenging an earlier defeat when he beat Lamon Brewster after 6 rounds in July 2007, Wladimir Klitschko had made three successful defences the IBF belt he had won from Chris Byrd in 2006, and was rated as the best Heavyweight in the world by Ring magazine (Sultan Ibragimov was 6th behind WBC Champion Oleg Maskaev and WBA Champion Ruslan Chagaev).[2]. Sultan Ibragimov won the WBO belt by beating Shannon Briggs before getting a decision over four time Former Champion Evander Holyfield. This fight would mark the first heavyweight unification bout since Lennox Lewis had become the last Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in his rematch with Holyfield in November 1999.

Klitschko had previously held the WBO belt from October 2000 to his shock March 2003 defeat to Corrie Sanders.

From the opening bell, both fighters fought tentatively, avoiding risks. Klitschko retreated onto the outside, fighting at a distance and remaining invulnerable for Ibragimov who tried to establish his right jab but had his right hand constantly pushed down by Klitschko. By the end of the opening round, Klitschko became more active with his jab, while Ibragimov unsuccessfully tried to catch Wladimir with a series of right and left hooks. By the third round, Klitschko took control of the center of the ring, keeping Ibragimov at the end of his left jab and occasionally throwing right jabs as well.[3] In the fifth round, Klitschko caught Ibragimov with a straight right hand, however Ibragimov appeared to be unhurt. Most of Ibragimov's attempts to close the distance ended with Klitschko tying him up. In the second half of the fight, the situation did not change, with Klitschko keeping Ibragimov at the distance with straight shots, while Ibragimov was only able to occasionally catch Klitschko with single shots to the body. Ibragimov's corner was almost silent from the sixth round onwards, unable to give their man any meaningful advice.[4] Klitschko's dominance became even more visible after he caught Ibragimov with a straight right in round nine, almost knocking him down. He caught Ibragimov again with a counter left hook in the at the end of the eleventh. The twelfth round saw Ibragimov unsuccassully trying to catch Klitschko with overhand shots. Ultimately, the fight went the distance, with Klitschko being declared the winner by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 119–110, 117–111 and 118–110.[5][6][7]

Ibragimov would retire after this fight, while Klitschko would go on hold the WBO belt until his 2015 defeat to Tyson Fury.

Confirmed bouts:[8]

Winner	Loser	Weight division/title belt(s) disputed	Result
Joe Greene	Francisco Antonio Mora	WBA-NABA Middleweight Title WBO-NABO Middleweight Title	10th round RTD.
Johnathon Banks	Imamu Mayfield	Cruiserweight (10 rounds)	1st round TKO.
John Duddy	Walid Smichet	Middleweight (10 rounds)	Majority decision.
Peter Quillin	Thomas Brown	Middleweight (6 rounds)	2nd round KO.
Alexander Ustinov	Earl Ladson	Heavyweight (4 rounds)	1st round KO.
Ronney Vargas	Monyette Flowers	Super Welterweight (4 rounds)	1st round KO.