Evander Holyfield’s quest for a fifth heavyweight title ends following loss to Sultan
The brother could have been a contender but alas, it was not meant to be. With the sparse crowd at Khodynka Arena chanting “Sultan! Sultan!” near the end of the bout, there were no knockdowns by the final bell, just a good-old fashion 12 round fight that saw Evander Holyfield come up short.
"He got the decision and I have to go back to the drawing board,” Holyfield said. “He’s a left-handed fighter, and moves a lot. I did the best that I could with the style that he had.”
"He got the decision and I have to go back to the drawing board,” Holyfield said. “He’s a left-handed fighter, and moves a lot. I did the best that I could with the style that he had.”
This was Holyfield’s 23rd title bout in a 20-year heavyweight career. In title fights, he beat James “Buster” Douglas in 1990, Mike Tyson in 1996, Michael Moorer in 1997 and John Ruiz in 2000. Holyfield’s license to fight in New York was suspended after he was outpointed by Larry Donald in 2004 for his third consecutive defeat. But he underwent surgery on both shoulders and won four straight fights in 2006-07 in Texas to receive another chance when Chagaev withdrew after contracting hepatitis.
The fight began with both fighters feeling each other out, although Holyfield looked happy to tie up Ibragimov to offset his superior hand speed. It also appeared Holyfield accidentally butted Ibragimov’s nose. By the seventh round, Holyfield’s legs were buckling on him after he caught a punch on the chin. But he came back with a flurry of blows before Ibragimov landed a wild right hook to win the round easily. Ibragimov’s faster hands and feet kept him ahead on the scorecards. But his chin withstood an overhand right from Holyfield, and his compact, southpaw combinations helped him regain his poise.A succession of left rips to the body staggered Holyfield in the 10th round and brought the crowd to its feet. Holyfield crumpled as Ibragimov chased him round the ring, snapping a couple of jabs to his face. But Holyfield recovered late in the round to land a left-right-left combination.