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02-24-2008, 07:50 AM
Klitschko routs Ibragimov, unifies IBF and WBO titles
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- At last, the heavyweight division has a unified champion.
Wladimir Klitschko is that man.
It was not a scintillating fight and nobody will compare it to Ali-Frazier, but Klitschko dominated pesky Sultan Ibragimov on Saturday night to win a lopsided unanimous decision before 14,011 at Madison Square Garden as he unified his world title belt with Ibragimov's.
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0223/box_a_klitschko1_412.jpg
That leaves two more belts to go for Klitschko, one owned by Oleg Maskaev and the other by Ruslan Chagaev, who was ringside.
But Klitschko has a leg up on them and, in a division in which he is so clearly at the top, deserves to be called the champion, not a mere titleholder.
Klitschko was excited to have finally accomplished one of his primary goals of unifying belts despite the less-than-stellar bout, which he won 119-110, 118-110 and 117-111.
ESPN.com also scored it for Klitschko, 118-110.
"The result counts," he said. "I'm happy to get the WBO belt back because it was the first belt I won [in 2000 before losing it in 2003]."
But Klitschko, who also has the IBF title, knows there is more work to do.
Klitschko isn't about to rest on his laurels; he'd like to unify the entire heavyweight division.
"I just want to continue beating everyone to unify the rest of the belts," Klitschko said.
"I want to get the other two belts now."
ESPN - Klitschko routs Ibragimov, unifies IBF and WBO titles - Boxing (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3261735)
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- At last, the heavyweight division has a unified champion.
Wladimir Klitschko is that man.
It was not a scintillating fight and nobody will compare it to Ali-Frazier, but Klitschko dominated pesky Sultan Ibragimov on Saturday night to win a lopsided unanimous decision before 14,011 at Madison Square Garden as he unified his world title belt with Ibragimov's.
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0223/box_a_klitschko1_412.jpg
That leaves two more belts to go for Klitschko, one owned by Oleg Maskaev and the other by Ruslan Chagaev, who was ringside.
But Klitschko has a leg up on them and, in a division in which he is so clearly at the top, deserves to be called the champion, not a mere titleholder.
Klitschko was excited to have finally accomplished one of his primary goals of unifying belts despite the less-than-stellar bout, which he won 119-110, 118-110 and 117-111.
ESPN.com also scored it for Klitschko, 118-110.
"The result counts," he said. "I'm happy to get the WBO belt back because it was the first belt I won [in 2000 before losing it in 2003]."
But Klitschko, who also has the IBF title, knows there is more work to do.
Klitschko isn't about to rest on his laurels; he'd like to unify the entire heavyweight division.
"I just want to continue beating everyone to unify the rest of the belts," Klitschko said.
"I want to get the other two belts now."
ESPN - Klitschko routs Ibragimov, unifies IBF and WBO titles - Boxing (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3261735)