Holy-Ibragimov Coming Next

[Butch Coolidge]

I do not see Evander winning this one. Poor Holy is getting to the point where he needs Sancho Panza in his corner. Holy has looked good against C and D level opponents but against the A and B level opponents he lost and I think this time EH will really get his butt kicked.

Guess will find out for sure in another week or two.

:think

[emanuel_augustus]

Agreed.

Ibragimov is far better than old punching bag, Lou Savarese. My feeling is that Sultan will be more aggressive in this fight, ala his performance against Whitaker, swarming old Holyfield, who at this point in his career is really little threat to ko anyone.

This could be a bad beating for Holy. I'm guessing Ibragimov overwhelms him and gets a stoppage around round 8 or 9.

[brooklyn1550]

My head says Sultan Ibragimov, but my heart says Evander Holyfield. I pick with my head 99.9 percent of the time, but I'm going to pick with my heart here...

Evander by UD

[emanuel_augustus]

My head says Sultan Ibragimov, but my heart says Evander Holyfield. I pick with my head 99.9 percent of the time, but I'm going to pick with my heart here...

Evander by UD

In what scenario do you see this playing out?

Sultan sure isn't going to get outworked by Evander. Evander doesn't have the speed to land a lot punches anymore, doesn't have the range that bothers the 6' 2" Sultan, and doesn't have the power to test Sultan's sometimes suspect beard.

Holyfield basically has no advantages in this fight other than his name and the fact that he has a ton of experience and will.

I don't think those things will be enough against a southpaw swarmer with such a high output fighting on his home turf.

[brooklyn1550]

In what scenario do you see this playing out?

Sultan sure isn't going to get outworked by Evander. Evander doesn't have the speed to land a lot punches anymore, doesn't have the range that bothers the 6' 2" Sultan, and doesn't have the power to test Sultan's sometimes suspect beard.

Holyfield basically has no advantages in this fight other than his name and the fact that he has a ton of experience and will.

I don't think those things will be enough against a southpaw swarmer with such a high output fighting on his home turf.

:think I might have to change my pick...I'm thinking about this, and other than the fact that Evander is on a mission and has a great deal of heart, it's tough to see him winning. One can dream though:D

[emanuel_augustus]

I might have to change my pick...I'm thinking about this, and other than the fact that Evander is on a mission and has a great deal of heart, it's tough to see him winning. One can dream though

That's all well and good, and Evander was a great champ, but his time is gone. Ibragimov is a far different animal from a tentative Fres Oquendo, a club fighter Vinny Maddalone, and a 42 year old punching bag Lou Savarese.

Gotta respect the heck out of Evander, but all logic says he's in for a beating in this one.

[brooklyn1550]

That's all well and good, and Evander was a great champ, but his time is gone. Ibragimov is a far different animal from a tentative Fres Oquendo, a club fighter Vinny Maddalone, and a 42 year old punching bag Lou Savarese.

Gotta respect the heck out of Evander, but all logic says he's in for a beating in this one.

You bring up some good points. You can argue an Ibragimov win better than I can for a Holyfield win...

I'm going to use my head on this one - I'll be picking Ibragimov on the prediction threads:good

[emanuel_augustus]

You bring up some good points. You can argue an Ibragimov win better than I can for a Holyfield win...

I'm going to use my head on this one - I'll be picking Ibragimov on the prediction threads

Now watch Holy ko him in one and make me look like a complete dufus.

[box03]

Hoyfield might shock the world again as he has before in the past, but I really dont see him winning this match unless he catches Iggys on the chin with a signature left hook. Im predicting Iggy to win by UD, but if Holyfield won it would help bring some attention to dying heavywieght division.

[Butch Coolidge]

Ibragimov actually has a solid chin. I saw him take a huge right hand from Briggs and a monsterous left hook from sparring partner Corey Sanders so he can take one or two of Evander's best punches, most likely, and I don't think EH has enough left in him physically to land combination after combination to wear this guy down like how Holy KOed his opponents in his prime.

Savarese and Bates actually landed some solid shots on Holyfield. Ibragimov's offense is going to be a notch or two above that. He'll hit Holyfield harder and more frequently.

Plus Ibragimov's style just seems like a style that Holyfield has difficulty with eg lefthanders like Michael Moorer and Chris Byrd provided a few humbling moments for the Real Deal.

I don't see this fight going the distance and I don't see Holyfield winning either.

[Shotgun]

Ibragimov is going to beat Holyfield up badly for either a shutout-type UD or a TKO

[Shpion]

Even though I would love for Holy to win as he is one of my all time favorite fighters, he will probably get dominated by Ibragimov. Just like he did last time he met a credible opponent - Donald.

[emanuel_augustus]

Ibragimov actually has a solid chin. I saw him take a huge right hand from Briggs and a monsterous left hook from sparring partner Corey Sanders so he can take one or two of Evander's best punches, most likely, and I don't think EH has enough left in him physically to land combination after combination to wear this guy down like how Holy KOed his opponents in his prime.

Sultan definitely has a solid chin, but he was also dropped by Whitaker, Ahunanya, and Austin, although he popped right up each time.

Holyfield does not have enough to stop Sultan at this point. No way.

[Butch Coolidge]

Donald, Byrd and Toney were decent enough opposition but none of them have the kind of arsenal Ibragimov is bringing with him. The leather is going to be flying at Holy from all directions.

Oquendo is below SI's ability and he still managed to have a good fight vs Holyfield.

[BoxingGuru]

Complete lopsided UD for Ibragimov, and once again all the morons will give Holyfield another title shot after he beats a few top 100 fighters.

[Rollo]

My head says Sultan, my heart too. I never liked holyfield, but I certainly do respect him, and I wouldn´t be surpriced at all if he proves both my head and heart wrong once again.

[Cruiser1]

If you're picking Sultan do it on the basis of him being the younger, quicker fighter and not because he's some great talent. Let's not forget that this is the same guy who drew with Ray Austin. Everytime we doubt Evander Holyfield he does something incredible and he's definitely got the doubters against him here (and rightly so). I just don't think the fight that everyone is expecting (a wide Ibragimov UD) is what we're gonna get. I'm eerily confident going into this fight and I don't know why. You can say that I'm thinking more with my heart and as a Holyfield fan but I just don't feel that this is the mismatch everyone claims it is. Of the 4 titlists this is the first one I would pick for Holy to go for.

[Dorfmeister]

I guess that Quixotic trick can only favor Evander - if he was to defend something he was holding against one live underdog, he could fail big time, happens that he has a real threat to his short future and boxing career and that usually has the old timer pumped up to achieve near impossible tasks as this one appears to be...

[Heavyrighthand]

Holy by decision.

It'll be a very competitive fight that will probably seen Holy decked at least once, but I don't think Ibrag can finish him.

[Bigcat]

The last word...

Don't write Holyfield off...

[emanuel_augustus]

EXACTLY! Ray Austin!

Klitschko was able to KO Austin in the 2nd round, and Klitschko fought the ENTIRE 2 ROUNDS with ONE HAND!

That should give an idea of the difference in talent between Wlad and Sultan. So I don't put Sultan that far, if ANY ahead of Holyfield. This is a pickem fight for me. But the heart goes to Holyfield.
I think it's dangerous to compare resumes without any contextuality.

The Ibragimov that fought Austin was 10 or 12 pounds overweight and didn't have the stamina to sustain attacks that he does at 218-220. He was also a bit perplexed by Austin's range and long jab when Austin stayed at range.

The conditioning thing was Sultan's fault, but there is clearly no question that he's a far better fighter when at his proper weight.

[Butch Coolidge]

I think it's dangerous to compare resumes without any contextuality.

The Ibragimov that fought Austin was 10 or 12 pounds overweight and didn't have the stamina to sustain attacks that he does at 218-220. He was also a bit perplexed by Austin's range and long jab when Austin stayed at range.

The conditioning thing was Sultan's fault, but there is clearly no question that he's a far better fighter when at his proper weight.

Ibragimov almost had Austin out in the first round if I remember correctly. I thought Ibragimov deserved a close win over Austin because he fought with more effective aggression than Austin. The things that bothered me in that fight about Ibragimov are that Ibragimov was really out of shape and that he appeared to know how to fight while being out of shape. The Austin fight wasn't a typical fight for Ibragimov, no body punching no swarming attacks. Hanging a pick on Ibragimov based on just this one fight is a huge mistake in my estimation.

At least with Holyfield I'm considering his fights against Oquendo, Donald, Byrd and Toney instead of just the one win over a brittle Lou Savarese. I don't think Holyfield will present much of a test for the current WBO champ. It will, however, provide him a huge paycheck and a good step towards another huge paycheck.

[IMTKO2005]

Holy is an older fighter with less speed and stamina. One thing that might happen, is that Ibragimov will make some repeditive mistake that Holy will notice, and will work it like crazy. Holy counters good, and i think that if this goes all the way Holy might even take this on points. Im picking the real deal !

[RichDam]

Holyfield will find a way to win. Trust me.

[Armo_Ruski]

this has the making for one of those how did that happen??? im not talking about holyfield winning by heart or by a big punch.. if u know what i mean... would it take alot of money for ibragimov to take a dive? lol... if it is straight up no b.s. iggy will win by ud or by 8th rd tko

[24barrels]

Holyfield has not beaten any top fighter since 2002. Ibragimov is younger, has better reflexes and will be more active. Ibragimov by UD or late TKO.

[C Money]

My head says Sultan Ibragimov, but my heart says Evander Holyfield. I pick with my head 99.9 percent of the time, but I'm going to pick with my heart here...

Evander by UD


Exactly how I feel. Though I'm not making the final pick until it's in our PREDICTION League.

I cant believe I feel that way either:nono I admit that after Donald, I didnt want to see him keep fighting. But he's on a win streak, and damn if it wouldnt be nice to see him look good and win one more?

The dream would be that he'd retire afterwards. I'm not quite sure what it will take, to see Evander take that action. If there is too much will? Evanders got that! Hope he gets 1 MO and GETS OUT at least not fighting. He's had a pretty amazing career and was a LEGIT HW Champion. Instant HOF, always respected, hope he finds a way to use his will in a different way, hopefully in the sport.

[badbone]

I would like to first off, I love this site!! Been visiting almost daily for a couple years now. Never really interested in posting--always reading, until now.

I am an Evander fan. I have been bias for sure on some of his fights. To see him fight for a title again does stir up the old feelings. I used to pay for every big fight. Last fight (Heavies) I felt had some teeth and excitment was the Lewis/Klitch. fight. Seems that I have not found a new Heavyweight fighter I truely like. I'm hoping old" Evander can give a show again. I'll always remember Big George saying during a fight "Someone throw in the towel" right before Evander kicked some butt. After the Toney fight I felt that it was over. But if what Evander said' that his shoulder was bad. (Always wondered why he didnt throw the combinations.) But if the left shoulder is good, Evander's best weapon, the double left hooks could do more damage to Sultan than alot of people think. Round nine I hope ?, after resting for a few rounds is my gut feeling.

[El Bombasto]

:think I might have to change my pick...I'm thinking about this, and other than the fact that Evander is on a mission and has a great deal of heart, it's tough to see him winning. One can dream though:D

If the fight goes the distance, Holyfield either gets blownout or the decision is close. Sorry, but at this point in their respective careers, Ibragimov is the far better boxer. No way does Holyfield win any decision that is remotely close in Moscow.

Ibrag UD/TKO, easy fight to call

[Cruiser1]

Ibragimov almost had Austin out in the first round if I remember correctly. I thought Ibragimov deserved a close win over Austin because he fought with more effective aggression than Austin. The things that bothered me in that fight about Ibragimov are that Ibragimov was really out of shape and that he appeared to know how to fight while being out of shape. The Austin fight wasn't a typical fight for Ibragimov, no body punching no swarming attacks. Hanging a pick on Ibragimov based on just this one fight is a huge mistake in my estimation.

At least with Holyfield I'm considering his fights against Oquendo, Donald, Byrd and Toney instead of just the one win over a brittle Lou Savarese. I don't think Holyfield will present much of a test for the current WBO champ. It will, however, provide him a huge paycheck and a good step towards another huge paycheck.

Knowing how to fight when out of shape isn't exactly a science. The fighter just has to be more economical with his punches and try not to over-exert himself. Laying on the ropes and counter punching and tying the opponent up a little more than usual will help but in the end it just comes down to pacing yourself and alot of this depends on the opponent in front of you. Ray Austin isn't the type of guy who will force a frantic pace. Quite the contrary. If anything, Ibragimov was lucky he wasn't fighting a more active fighter that night because then he would have been in some real trouble.

I'm not entirely basing my pick of Holyfield on that fight either. Even in shape Ibragimov is a beatable fighter. He's a world champion, a good fighter with some decent names on his resume but I really believe that Holyfield can pull this one off and the manner in which he may do it could end up surprising alot of people.

[Butch Coolidge]

I don't see Ibragimov allowing Holy to throw the left hook. If Iggy keeps his right foot outside Holy's wheelhouse Holy won't get a chance to land his hook and the right jab and right hook from SI will eventually get EH out of there. Ibragimov showed some discipline in his fight vs Briggs by sticking to the fight plan and not giving Briggs, a counterpuncher himself, a chance to land much except an occasional jolting right hand. I know Ibragimov and Mayweather have been planning on this.

[Cruiser1]

I don't see Ibragimov allowing Holy to throw the left hook. If Iggy keeps his right foot outside Holy's wheelhouse Holy won't get a chance to land his hook and the right jab and right hook from SI will eventually get EH out of there. Ibragimov showed some discipline in his fight vs Briggs by sticking to the fight plan and not giving Briggs, a counterpuncher himself, a chance to land much except an occasional jolting right hand. I know Ibragimov and Mayweather have been planning on this.

The left hook is what I was referring to with the surprise outcome. Evander's knocked down some solid-chinned dudes in his day. We'll see how Sultan deals with it.

[Butch Coolidge]

The left hook is what I was referring to with the surprise outcome. Evander's knocked down some solid-chinned dudes in his day. We'll see how Sultan deals with it.

He couldn't KO Savarese, he came close and Byrd, Donald, Oquendo and Toney managed to avoid it although shoulder problems could have contributed a little bit to that but I'm expecting Ibragimov to have prepared for Holy's left and his contraversial headbutt attack. Ibragimov mentioned those things in an interview. Also, IMO, Ibragimov is going to bring a more intense offense than; Byrd, Donald, Toney, Oquendo and Savarese. Since Savarese and even Jeremy Bates managed to land some hard punches on Holyfield I figure a hard punching southpaw will put some hurt on him big time--especially considering Holy has struggled against lefties in the past e.g. Byrd and Moorer.

[Cruiser1]

He couldn't KO Savarese, he came close and Byrd, Donald, Oquendo and Toney managed to avoid it although shoulder problems could have contributed a little bit to that but I'm expecting Ibragimov to have prepared for Holy's left and his contraversial headbutt attack. Ibragimov mentioned those things in an interview. Also, IMO, Ibragimov is going to bring a more intense offense than; Byrd, Donald, Toney, Oquendo and Savarese. Since Savarese and even Jeremy Bates managed to land some hard punches on Holyfield I figure a hard punching southpaw will put some hurt on him big time--especially considering Holy has struggled against lefties in the past e.g. Byrd and Moorer.

We'll just have to wait and see. We can sit here and go point for point all we want but once they step into that ring our analysis becomes totally irrelevant. If you want to take what I'm saying as being an inability to counter your points then be my guest. I still stand by my pick. We're cool. No venom here. You make good points unlike alot of others.

[El Bombasto]

evan fields get's schooled, ibrag by wide ud

[Butch Coolidge]

We'll just have to wait and see. We can sit here and go point for point all we want but once they step into that ring our analysis becomes totally irrelevant. If you want to take what I'm saying as being an inability to counter your points then be my guest. I still stand by my pick. We're cool. No venom here. You make good points unlike alot of others.

It's not like we've got anything better to do:rofl

[madpup]

The fact that this fight is going ahead is a black mark for boxing. Whilst other divisions are hosting great fights, which are difficult to predict, we are getting this rubbish at heavyweight. Grandpa Holyfield did not deserve the world title fight and neither did Ibragimov, who lucked out and faced Briggs, who I am amazed even had the fitness to walk from the changing room to the ring.

Ibragimov will probably win, but so fucking what, this will not help the popularity of boxing and most likely will not be a great fight. We need some big fights at Heavyweight...meaning the champions need to fight each other and or top contenders like Peter, not this fucking shit.

[LennoxGOAT]

As mentioned by Butch, I believe, Sultan has shown an ability to craft a gameplan and stick with it for an entire 12 rounds.

I don't see anything that suggests he will not be able to do the same or where Evander can get him out of it.

Sultan by a WIDE ud (regardless of the scores).

[Butch Coolidge]

The fact that this fight is going ahead is a black mark for boxing. Whilst other divisions are hosting great fights, which are difficult to predict, we are getting this rubbish at heavyweight. Grandpa Holyfield did not deserve the world title fight and neither did Ibragimov, who lucked out and faced Briggs, who I am amazed even had the fitness to walk from the changing room to the ring.

Ibragimov will probably win, but so fucking what, this will not help the popularity of boxing and most likely will not be a great fight. We need some big fights at Heavyweight...meaning the champions need to fight each other and or top contenders like Peter, not this fucking shit.

This fight may make more money than the original Chageav-Ibragimov contest simply because Holyfield is a known name to many outside of boxing fans. That's about all I can say positive for this bout.

Maybe Holyfield will make me eat my words by winning and making this an exciting fight but I obviously have my doubts about that scenario coming to fruition.

[hacim419]

I'm picking Holyfield because let's face it, Ibragamov has beaten nobody of note to get where he is....Briggs? ,The Giant asthmatic loafer, Austin, a journeyman who somehow got a title shot (barely beating Owen Beck), Lance Whitaker (who couldn't even beat Savarese)...Holyfield has been in there with all time greats, and his recent opposition isn't actually much worse than Sultan's.

[Zakman]

I'm picking Holyfield because let's face it, Ibragamov has beaten nobody of note to get where he is....Briggs? ,The Giant asthmatic loafer, Austin, a journeyman who somehow got a title shot (barely beating Owen Beck), Lance Whitaker (who couldn't even beat Savarese)...Holyfield has been in there with all time greats, and his recent opposition isn't actually much worse than Sultan's.

That's exactly why I'm picking Holyfield too. Listen, if this were happening several years ago, there would NO debate over who would win. Sure, Holyfield is WAY past his prime, but how good is Ibragimov really?? A guy who gets in a life and death struggle with utterly mediocre Ray Austin, and actually hits the deck against such a fighter may not be all that good. And Briggs?? Puh-leez. He's only about the worst linear champion of all time.

What makes this fight potentially competitive going in is the question of whether a substantially declined all-time great like Holyfield has enough left to beat a guy who may not really be that good to begin with. If Ibragimov is as mediocre as the Ray Austin fight indicates, and Holyfield has ANYTHING left, he will win, and shock the world.

Something tells me the old warrior is gonna pull it out.:yep

[emanuel_augustus]

He's only about the worst linear champion of all time.

What makes this fight potentially competitive going in is the question of whether a substantially declined all-time great like Holyfield has enough left to beat a guy who may not really be that good to begin with. If Ibragimov is as mediocre as the Ray Austin fight indicates, and Holyfield has ANYTHING left, he will win, and shock the world.

Something tells me the old warrior is gonna pull it out.

Poppycock. Olympic Silver Medalist, 21-0-1 as a pro. Ibragimov isn't Joe Louis, but he's an excellent fighter worthy of a belt.

Awkward, aggressive, volume punching southpaw with very fast hands and stinging power. Sure he's susceptible to right hands, but has never been stopped in his career.

Ibragimov has plenty of upside and is entertaining to watch.

Holyfield is old and hasn't beaten a quality fighter since Rahman in 2002.

Ibragimov is the clear to favorite to administer a beating here.

[EpsilonAxis]

Holyfield will take this. I think he has looked great in his last few fights...

If he shows up like he did then...I take him over Iggy...who has a poor workrate and loops his punches a lot.

[emanuel_augustus]

who has a poor workrate and loops his punches a lot.
Absolutely does not have a poor workrate.

Granted against Briggs he took more of a countering style, his normal style is high volume output, something I think he will get back to against Holy since he doesn't have A. the range of Austin or B. the one punch threat of Briggs.

I suspect it will go more like the Whitaker fight, a swarming destruction of an old champion.

Oh, and yes he does sometimes loop his punches, but he's quick enough to reset fairly quickly and Holyfield isn't fast enough these days to take advantage.

[Mendoza]

Complete lopsided UD for Ibragimov, and once again all the morons will give Holyfield another title shot after he beats a few top 100 fighters.

The worst thing would be if Ibragimov win's ugly. This would make a delusional Holyfield think he is close to winning a title and attempt another comeback.

The ref better be looking out for Holyfield in this fight. He could be in for a dangerous beating. Ibragimov is not walking stiff like Saveresse and hits much harder than James Toney.