For several years, fight fans have longed for the
day when the heavyweight championship of the world would be unified and one man
would reign atop the sport’s glamour division. On Saturday, February 23rd,
at ‘The Mecca of Boxing,’ New York City’s Madison Square Garden, that day will
be one step closer when IBF & IBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and
WBO Heavyweight Champion Sultan Ibragimov meet to unify their titles in a bout
destined to bring clarity to the heavyweights once again.
Klitschko and Ibragimov, a 12 round heavyweight
title unification bout, headlines a historic night of boxing presented by K2
Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing and will be televised live on HBO World
Championship Boxing.
“I´m very happy that after intensive negotiations
we have finally reached a deal”. said Klitschko. “I’m really looking forward to
this unification bout. This is what boxing fans around the world want to see.
Ibragimov showed his class with his convincing victories over Shannon Briggs and
Evander Holyfield. I’m sure this will be an exciting fight and Madison Square
Garden is the perfect place for it.”
“Before I became champion, my goal was to win the
title and unify it,” said Ibragimov. “But when I won the belt, I found no
champion willing to fight me. I thank Klitschko for being a true champion and
for fighting me. I know we will put on a great show for the fans in New York
and around the world.”
"We are excited to bring this historical fight to
New York and Madison Square Garden," stated Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. "This
will be the first heavyweight unification since Holyfield/Lewis in 1999 and it
is fitting that it is in the arena with so much boxing history."
“In a division where champions have been known to
shy away from dangerous challenges, credit must be given to Wladimir Klitschko
and Sultan Ibragimov for stepping up and putting their belts on the line, not
only for their own legacies, but for the good of boxing,” said Leon Margules,
Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing. “Both men are fine descendants
from a championship line that includes Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Ali, and
they will prove it on February 23rd.”
The 1996 Olympic Gold medalist Wladimir Klitschko
(49-3, 44 KOs) is one of the most talented heavyweights of this era, and his
dominance has led him to 2 heavyweight world titles. After holding the WBO
title from 2000 to 2003, the 31-year old Klitschko also won the IBF title from
Chris Byrd in 2006 and has made 3 title defenses with KO victories over Calvin
Brock, Ray Austin, and Lamon Brewster.
Unbeaten in his five years as a professional, 2000
Olympic Silver medalist Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs) has impressed boxing
aficionados with his fast hands, combination punching, and willingness to take
on all comers. The 32-year old Ibragimov, a native of Dagestan, Russia, won the
WBO Heavyweight Championship in June of 2007 with a dominant 12 round win over
Shannon Briggs, and he has since defended his title with another clear cut
victory in October over heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield.
For Klitschko and Ibragimov, the time is right to
unify the HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE.
For more
information on Seminole Warrior’s Boxing, please visit our website at
www.warriorsboxing.com
11-19-2007
