Ibragimov downs Holyfield to remain WBO champ
Sultan Ibragimov remained the WBO Heavyweight Champion.
Moscow, Russia - Sultan Ibragimov scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield to remain the WBO Heavyweight Champion Saturday at The Khodynka Arena.
Ibragimov remained undefeated at 22-0-1 while Holyfield’s bid to become heavyweight champ for the fifth time in his career fell short.
The 44-year-old Holyfield came out as the aggressor in the early rounds to catch Ibragimov off guard. At the end of the round two, Holyfield landed a right jab to the side of Ibragimov’s face to stun the Russian.
As the bout progressed, an aggressive Holyfield began to wear down as Ibragimov remained patient with his punch selection. In round six, the Russian landed two right hooks after Holyfield missed with a slow jab.
Towards the end of the ninth round, Ibragimov landed a quick left jab to the jaw of Holyfield to push him against the ropes.
With about 2 1/2 minutes left in the 11th round, Ibragimov sent Holyfield to the mat with a thunderous right hook. The former four-time champ quickly got to his feet but was on the defensive the remainder of the round.
In the final round, Holyfield landed two rights to the head of the champ but it was too little, too late.
Holyfield (42-9-2), who was looking to become the second-oldest heavyweight champion in history, suffered his first lost in his last five bouts.
Ibragimov was originally scheduled to fight WBA Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev, but he withdrew from the event due to undisclosed medical reasons.
On the undercard, Russian Dimitri Kirilov (29-3) returned from a 17-month absence from boxing to capture the vacant IBF Jr. Flyweight belt with a 12- round unanimous decision over Jose Navarro (26-3).
In a back-and-forth bout, Kirilov took control of the fight in the 10th round, landing several stiff jabs to the face of Navarro. In the 11th, Kirilov threw a double left hook that stunned Navarro and left him groggy. The crowd favorite continued to dominate in the final round as Kirilov landed a right hook that opened a cut above Navarro’s right eye.
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