Ibragimov hurt Holyfield at the 2:37 mark of the 10th, with a driving left hand to the belly that almost doubled up the former champion. Holyfield tucked his gloves close to his ribs and he grimaced in pain from the punch, as the crowd cheered and Ibragimov stepped back inside and landed with another hard left to the midsection. For an instant it appeared as if the champion was going to try and finish off the challenger, however, Ibragimov eased back off the target and returned to connecting with stiff right jabs against what amounted to a slower and slower opponent. However, as if to prove he was still dangerous, Holyfield connected with a volley that drove Ibragimov back into the ropes after scoring with three shots and a riveting right hand to the chin. Despite the sudden fireworks Holyfield was unable to follow up and he simply returned to catching punches from his younger and faster opponent.
Holyfield hit the deck hard early in the 11th but his trip to the floor was caused by slipping after colliding with the Russian. The challenger landed hard on his left shoulder but fortunately he was up quickly and the battle resumed. Ibragimov returned to connecting with solid counter left hands that richochtted off of Holyfield’s face. The challenger did manage to nail Ibragimov with a clean right to the jaw at the 33-second mark, but once more Holyfield was unable to follow up and the round simply evaporated.
Holyfield closed out the final round by landing two more hard right hands but Ibragimov simply won the fight going away after connecting with enough right jabs, hooks and numbing counter left crosses down the middle. At the final bell the fighters embraced for a moment but both boxers were headed in different directions.
Sultan Ibragimov smiled broadly, as he walked around the ring flexing his muscles and showing off the WBO belt. Across the ring, Evander Holyfield simply returned to his lockerroom and then to a long plane ride home. The only obstacle in his path was once again himself.
Undercard: Earlier in the evening, Dimitri Kirilov (29-3, 9 KO’s) captured the vacant IBF super flyweight title by scoring a 12 round unanimous decision over America’s Jose Navarro (26-3, 12 KO’s). In the 3rd, Kirilov, St. Petersburg, Russia scored a flash knockdown after dropping Navarro with a counter right cross to the chin that buckled his opponent’s legs and he touched the canvas with his right glove. Kirilov (114 ) repeatedly scored with the heavier leather but in the 7th there was an accidental clash of heads that opened up a deep cut around Navarro’s right eye. Blood continued to flow from the wound for the rest of the evening, as Kirilov pounded out the victory on all three judges’ scorecards, 114-113, 116-112, and 114-113, to capture the IBF belt. In a cruiserweight tilt, Algeria’s Mohamed Azzaoui (22-0-2, 8 KO’s), who now lives and fights out of Auckland, New Zealand scored a TKO at the end of the seventh round against Henry “La Mole” Saenz (16-7-1, 12 KO’s). Azzaoui (199) repeatedly landed with hard right hands against the slower moving Saenz (198 ) and opened up several cuts on the bridge of his nose and under and over his right eye that eventually forced the fight to be halted.
Source: www.boxingtimes.com
