Sultan Ibragimov vs. Ray Austin - Revision history

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	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]		*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

	~~'''~~Sultan Ibragimov, Plus Eleven Goes The Distance With Ray Austin~~'''~~		===Sultan Ibragimov, Plus Eleven Goes The Distance With Ray Austin===

	<small>By Wray Edwards, East Side Boxing</small>		<small>By Wray Edwards, East Side Boxing</small>

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	'''Sultan Ibragimov, Plus Eleven Goes The Distance With Ray Austin'''		'''Sultan Ibragimov, Plus Eleven Goes The Distance With Ray Austin'''

	By Wray Edwards, East Side Boxing		<small>By Wray Edwards, East Side Boxing</small>

	The minute Sultan Ibragimov removed his robe and stood ready for the first round bell, the photographer to my left said, "He's not ready, has he gained weight?"		The minute Sultan Ibragimov removed his robe and stood ready for the first round bell, the photographer to my left said, "He's not ready, has he gained weight?"

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	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]		*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]		*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

			'''Sultan Ibragimov, Plus Eleven Goes The Distance With Ray Austin'''

			By Wray Edwards, East Side Boxing

			The minute Sultan Ibragimov removed his robe and stood ready for the first round bell, the photographer to my left said, "He's not ready, has he gained weight?"

			"Yeah, about ten or eleven" I answered, "But he has that guy next door look anyway." As the fight unfolded, my excuse did not hold water. Maybe the extra weight combined with what turned out to be a full distance match was just too much for Sultan to complete yet another stunning victory.

			The First Round was typical Ibragimov. As Austin began to clinch right from the get-go, Sultan pounded fiercely at his head to try to make the huggie-bear ploy less attractive. It didn't work. Austin held throughout the match.

			Sultan's extreme efforts plus (possibly) the extra weight, seemed to cause him to tire early as is evident in the following two pics in which he looks winded and discouraged, and it was only after one or two rounds.

			One wonders what he is thinking with his head down like that..probably just relaxing.

			During the Fourth Round as Sultan was initiating one of his vicious combination attacks, he missed a sweeping left and, while falling in on Austin, caught Ray flush with a right which knocked Austin to the carpet.

			From the Fourth Round to the Tenth, Sultan exercised patience while he gathered energy to make his patented, destructive charges which are always balanced and powerful. With a five inch reach advantage, Austin had Sultan thinking twice about the necessity to cover the dangerous distance in order to land the Russian's bombs. Ibragimov has fast hands for a heavy, but despite his size, Austin's speed is pretty respectable also; quite enough to give Sultan a serious challenge.

			Some of these six rounds were active while others were used by both fighters to rest a bit, even causing the fans to get a little restless at one point. The tenth round turned out to be pay-back time for Austin. He caught Sultan with a right-left combo that stunned the Russian who fell forward holding onto Ray at the hips, but as Ray backed off Sultan fell to his hands and knees. The first KD of his entire career.

			Sultan regained his feet and the two whacked away at each other until the end of the twelfth. The judges called it a draw to a vast chorus of "boos" from the fight fans. Since common sense has not yet prevailed to the point where the sanctions use uneven rounds to prevent this (when will they learn...even "The Contender" has figured this out), we must all wait for the shakeout which must now take place to select an opponent for Wlad...assuming he gets by Shannon in November.

			I feel that there is a possibility that Sultan's extra weight (which might be a clue to the "rigors" of his training for this fight) was an important factor in his mobility and stamina departments. This was a really good fight with both boxers throwing some heavy leather, the fans cheering and some pretty good chin displays. Teddy Atlas observed that Sultan has natural ability, but could use some technical improvements. Ditto.

			This fight begs a thirteen round rematch, and elevated the market value of both boxers who showed great heart, energy and sportsmanship. Except for the draw nonsense it was a real hummer. Both men demonstrated the best there is in the sport of Boxing, and surely everybody is looking forward to their next appearances in the ring.

			The under-card featured a Middleweight bout between Samuel Miller from Arboletes, Colombia and Jason Naugler from Alberta, Canada. It was a very energetic fight with plenty of action.

			These two left everything in the ring and thrilled the fans with a non-stop, dance-and-deliver boxing match. The momentum went back-and-forth for the whole eight rounds, with Miller pounding out a UD over Naugler who raised Miller's arm himself.

			The Seminole Hard Rock, Golden Grain Promotions, and Warrior's Boxing all put on a great show with no problems. ESB hopes to return soon for yet another in a series of Boxing attractions which are making South Florida the go-to place for professional prize fight action. See you at the fights.[https://www.boxing247.com/news/Ibragimov-Austin.php]

Artur128: /* Quotes */

2023-08-24T18:39:14Z

Quotes

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	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]		*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]		*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

	~~==Quotes==~~
	*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight
	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	* "Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU
	* "It must be said that this fight fully lived up to its high status" - Chernovik

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2023-08-24T18:33:47Z

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	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight		*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	* "Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU		* "Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU
			* "It must be said that this fight fully lived up to its high status" - Chernovik

Artur128: /* Quotes */

2023-08-24T18:32:47Z

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	*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight		*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight
	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight		*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	* "~~It is possible that at that moment the five kilograms that the Russian boxer gained compared to his usual fighting weight let themselves know. [...]~~ Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU		* "Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU

Artur128 at 18:32, 24 August 2023

2023-08-24T18:32:30Z

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	*CompuBox stats: Austin 112/463 (24.2%), Ibragimov 107/347 (30.8%); power punches: Austin 87/245 (35.5%), Ibragimov 96/249 (38.6%). Neither fighter landed more than 5 jabs per round.		*CompuBox stats: Austin 112/463 (24.2%), Ibragimov 107/347 (30.8%); power punches: Austin 87/245 (35.5%), Ibragimov 96/249 (38.6%). Neither fighter landed more than 5 jabs per round.
	*Commentator [[Teddy Atlas]] scored the fight a draw. Matt Miller from SB Nation had Ibragimov winning 114-112.[https://www.badlefthook.com/2006/7/29/24034/7292]		*Commentator [[Teddy Atlas]] scored the fight a draw. Matt Miller from SB Nation had Ibragimov winning 114-112.[https://www.badlefthook.com/2006/7/29/24034/7292]
			*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]		*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

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	*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight		*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight
	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight		*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	* "It is possible that at that moment the five kilograms that the Russian boxer gained compared to his usual fighting weight let themselves know. [...] Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU		* "It is possible that at that moment the five kilograms that the Russian boxer gained compared to his usual fighting weight let themselves know. [...] Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU

Artur128 at 18:30, 24 August 2023

2023-08-24T18:30:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:30, 24 August 2023
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	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight		*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]		*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
			* "It is possible that at that moment the five kilograms that the Russian boxer gained compared to his usual fighting weight let themselves know. [...] Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker." - Andrey Sentsov, Lenta RU

Artur128: /* Comments */

2023-08-24T18:28:14Z

Comments

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	==~~Comments~~==		==Notes==
	*Ibragimov weighed in at 231 3/4 pounds, the heaviest in his professional career and 11 1/4 lbs. heavier than in his last bout.		*Ibragimov weighed in at 231 3/4 pounds, the heaviest in his professional career and 11 1/4 lbs. heavier than in his last bout.
	*Austin, on the other hand, was fighting at 245 1/2 lbs., almost 10 pounds lighter compared to his previous bout.		*Austin, on the other hand, was fighting at 245 1/2 lbs., almost 10 pounds lighter compared to his previous bout.
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	*CompuBox stats: Austin 112/463 (24.2%), Ibragimov 107/347 (30.8%); power punches: Austin 87/245 (35.5%), Ibragimov 96/249 (38.6%). Neither fighter landed more than 5 jabs per round.		*CompuBox stats: Austin 112/463 (24.2%), Ibragimov 107/347 (30.8%); power punches: Austin 87/245 (35.5%), Ibragimov 96/249 (38.6%). Neither fighter landed more than 5 jabs per round.
	*Commentator [[Teddy Atlas]] scored the fight a draw. Matt Miller from SB Nation had Ibragimov winning 114-112.[https://www.badlefthook.com/2006/7/29/24034/7292]		*Commentator [[Teddy Atlas]] scored the fight a draw. Matt Miller from SB Nation had Ibragimov winning 114-112.[https://www.badlefthook.com/2006/7/29/24034/7292]
			*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

			==Quotes==
	*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight		*"I thought I won that fight, I don't understand how could one judge have Austin winning. Don King did his job: he changed the judges before the fight. I think you all understand who Don King is. And Ray Austin is his fighter." - Ibragimov after the fight
	*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight		*"We were robbed, plain and simple! That explains why the entire judging team had been switched before the fight. Moreover, one of those [new] judges is from Cleveland, Ray Austin's hometown. If you look at the stats, the fighters exchanged knockdowns, but through the course of twelve rounds Ibragimov staggered Austin at least six or seven times, while Austin couldn't do it once." - Boris Grinberg, Ibragimov's manager, after the fight
	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]		*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

Artur128 at 10:01, 5 August 2023

2023-08-05T10:01:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:01, 5 August 2023
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	*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]		*With 925,000 average viewers and 1.02 share, the bout became the most popular boxing match in ESPN2 history.[https://www.boxingscene.com/ibragimov-austin-makes-ratings-history--5038]
	*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]		*2006 [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] Fight of the Year.[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2563781]

	~~<big>'''And parted like ships at sea...'''</big>~~

	~~<small>By ''Chernovik'', August 4, 2006</small>~~

	Saturday's superfight for the status of a mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title between Sultan Ibragimov and Ray Austin ended in a draw. And this means that, most likely, the two boxers will have to meet again. Dagestani heavyweight Sultan Ibragimov and American Ray Austin exchanged knockdowns on the night from Friday to Saturday and generally had an incredibly spectacular duel, which the judges recorded a draw. The first judge gave the victory to Austin - 114:112. The second awarded a convincing victory to the Russian - 115:111, and in the opinion of the third, the 12-round fight ended in a draw - 113:113. As a result - a draw, which means that both opponents remained, as they say, with their own.

	~~'''Pre-fight'''~~

	For both rivals, this was the last fortress on the way to the world title in the "marquee" heavyweight division. Athletes themselves understood that, and so did the journalists and the organizer of the show, Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing), who, at the traditional pre-match press conference, promised that on Friday evening, boxing fans would see a real battle between two high-class boxers that would shake up the entire heavyweight division. "A real battle between real men, not the pushing and running from each other that we've been seeing lately."

	~~Mike Tyson added more fuel to the fire, promising the day before to provide personal support to Ibragimov while in his corner.~~

	All this could not but generate an attention of the American public for the fight. Vladimir Malakhov and Valery Bure arrived in Hollywood with intent to support their compatriot, and the American channel ESPN broadcast the fight live.

	~~'''Knockdown exchange'''~~

	Meanwhile, before the fight, observers agreed that its outcome would depend not so much on Ibragimov's form but on the psychological state of his opponent. Will Austin be able to mentally prepare himself to fight Ibragimov - the devil himself is not going to scare him. If he won't - the faster Ibragimov will sweep him out of the ring, as he did with all his previous opponents.

	Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, who was the fight's commentator for the American broadcaster, had his own opinion. He stated that he was ready to bet on Austin, but only if he managed to avoid a knockout in one of the first rounds.

	It must be said that this fight fully lived up to its high status - a battle for the status of the mandatory challenger. Ibragimov dominated the first two rounds, skillfully performing at close range against a larger opponent, but could not find a gap in Austin's defense. It is worth noting that in the first six minutes of the fight, the American was able to answer the opponent with only 9 (!) punches. In the third, Austin manages to cool our athlete down a little. No, Ibragimov still controls the course of the fight, but is boxing mainly at a long distance. And in the fourth round, Austin encountered something that everyone expected to happen. Half a minute remained before the bell when Ibragimov threw a two-punch combination. The first punch, a sweeping left, missed the target, but he succeeded with an excellent right hook to the head, after which Austin was on the floor - the referee registers a knockdown. The Russian did not have enough time to build on his success.

	The fifth and sixth rounds were not rich on action: the American equalized the fight, finally adapting to Ibragimov's style, and began to slowly land punches himself, and the seventh had already passed with Austin being ahead, as he succeeded with several good attacks, after one of which Ibragimov lost his balance and put his arm on the canvas to not drop, which could be regarded as a knockdown. But the referee, correctly assessing the situation, signaled to continue. After the fight, Austin will even say that during this three-minute period he was about to knock the opponent out. The statement looks overly confident. Austin managed, of course, to hurt the Russian with powerful blows from both hands, but Ibragimov was able to quickly recover. The fight was fairly competitive in the eighth and ninth, and in the tenth round Sultan overlooked a left hook and ended up on the floor. Now he was saved by the bell. In the penultimate three-minute segment, Austin tried to finish what he started, but Sultan managed to regain control of the situation. Realizing that he needs to step up his game, Ibragimov rushes forward and wins the last round with an overwhelming advantage. As it turned out, this was only enough to ensure that, following twelve rounds, a draw was declared.

	Thus, Wladimir Klitschko still has no mandatory challenger, and if a rematch between Ibragimov and Austin is scheduled, then it is possible that Wladimir will be able to hold two voluntary defenses (of course if he wins the first one) before meeting with the mandatory challenger. Wladimir Klitschko will make his first defense in November against Shannon Briggs.

	~~'''Sultan robbed?'''~~

	Oddly enough, in the end everyone was dissatisfied with the decision of the judges. Ibragimov's manager Boris Grinberg said he intends to protest the outcome of the fight. According to Grinberg and other members of the Ibragimov team, he dominated in the ring from the very beginning of the fight, and the scorecards do not reflect the actual state of affairs. "They were scoring while staring in a completely different direction," Greenberg said. "Everyone who was there understands what happened. Sultan was in control of the fight, winning nine or ten rounds... Sultan is upset because he is an honest man and he does not like to be robbed. The judges who did not give him the victory can only be called boxing killers."

	This fight was supposed to reveal a mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title, and Ibragimov's promoter Leon Margules stated that the current IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko would have to make a mandatory defense in February-April next year and there was still time to organize a rematch between the boxers. Since Austin is ranked higher by the IBF than Ibragimov, he got 75% of the prize pool of $810 thousand, and Greenberg believes that Austin's promoter Don King decided to cash in on the rematch, and that is why the judges called it a draw. "The situation with Don King is very frustrating and complicated," Grinberg said. "They robbed our boxer. They decided that they could make a lot of money from this, so they made sure the rematch is expected. Sultan understands what happened and said that he is ready to enter the ring next month, but who can guarantee that the judging disgrace that we witnessed today will not happen again?"

	Reaction from the Austin camp was immediate. Renowned heavyweight Shannon Briggs, who was in Austin's corner during the fight, believes that Ray won this fight because he dominated due to the advantage in size and reach. Austin's lawyer, Mike Borao, claims that his client won rounds two through ten, and if the referee had counted another Ibragimov's fall to the canvas for a knockdown, then Austin would have won without question. "I respect Ibragimov and his team, but I don’t understand what fight Grinberg was watching," Borao said. "With the exception of a six-second knockdown in the fourth round, Ray won rounds two through ten clearly. In my opinion, Ray won this fight clearly, and if Ibragimov had been counted for another knockdown, then the outcome of the fight would have been absolutely clear."

	~~<big>'''Sultan Didn't Hit Like A King'''</big>~~

	~~<small>By Andriy Sentsov, ''Lenta RU'', July 31, 2006</small>~~

	On the night of Saturday, July 29, the most anticipated fight of this month among Russian boxing fans took place between "Russian Hunter" Sultan Ibragimov and "Rain Man" American Ray Austin. The winner of this fight would get the opportunity to fight for the IBF heavyweight championship against Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko.

	Each opponent had his own way to this fight. The two-meter Austin would beat his opponents on points or draw them, and knock the very weak ones out. Not very tall Ibragimov, who does not have an outstanding bodybuilder-like appearance, crushed everyone. Eight knockout victories in a row speak volumes. Moreover, the list of victims includes not only human punching bags, like Onebo Maxime, but also great boxers, such as Lance Whitaker.

	Lenta.Ru already talked about Ibragimov's fight with this giant at the end of last year. This fight impressed the entire boxing world so much that many have already begun to call Ibragimov the main contender for the throne of the heavyweight king. Not very tall? Not a big deal, sometimes absolute giants turn out to be exaggerated hype jobs. Not well known in America? Not really true, after the silver medal of the 2000 Olympics, Ibragimov left for the States and managed to earn a good reputation there. Never met any serious opponents? But where can you get them, if the most serious ones already have championship belts and you still need to break through to this level?

	Sultan's winning streak impressed the IBF officials, who allowed him, the No.5 contender in the world according to this organization, to participate in the mandatory challenger fight. As for Austin, he was the No.2 and had the right to such a fight. The vast majority of experts, comparing the manner of fighting of the American and the Russian, favored the left-handed Ibragimov. First, Austin's technique is too poor, since he did not have any decent boxing school in his youth, while Ibragimov was brought up first in the Soviet and then in the Russian boxing school, traditionally considered one of the strongest in the world.

	Second, the Russian's punch is much sharper and stronger than that of the American. Although some of the media were in an absolute awe of Ray's punch, claiming that he hits like a horse with a hoof, in reality, everything was far from it.

	Third, on Ibragimov's side was speed, a gift received from nature and perfected by years of training. True, the "Russian Hunter" had one drawback - he usually did not look so strong in the second half of the fight, if the fight dragged on. This circumstance caused concern also because before the fight with Austin, Ibragimov gained 5 kilograms.

	But in general, of course, the more skilled Sultan was favored. Moreover, he was supported by "Iron" Mike Tyson himself, who often stated that Ibragimov reminds him of himself at the peak of his career. The Seminole Hard Rock Hall in Hollywood, Florida, was filled with 5,000 fans who came to watch what promised to be one of the most exciting fights of the year. In America the fight was broadcasted by ESPN, while in Russia it was done by NTV+.

	The fight began as many expected - Austin simply did not have the opportunity to hit the fast Ibragimov, and Sultan beat his opponent from different distances and different angles. But, surprisingly, the American handled the onslaught of the Russian fairly well, although at one point his legs buckled. It seems that Sultan spent so much energy and emotions in the first round that he then sharply slowed his pace. He was still in control, but the number of his strikes decreased, and the opponent began to occassionally fight back.

	It is possible that at that moment the five kilograms that the Russian boxer gained compared to his usual fighting weight let themselves know. However, in the fourth round, everything seemed to fall into place. Ibragimov got through a combination.

	True, the left sweeping whistled past Austin's head, but Sultan, slightly losing his balance and stepping forward, found himself right in his opponent's face and did not miss his chance. Ibragimov's right hook was exactly on target, and the American fell.

	Sultan failed to finish the opponent because the gong sounded, and in the fifth and sixth rounds he dropped the pace again. However, this period of resting was more beneficial for the "Rain Man", who began fullfilling his game plan. He kept the Russian at a distance and directly in front of him, stopping all Ibragimov's attempts to get closer. Moreover, Austin began to land more and more punches. As a result, Ray managed to deliver a right blow to the chin, after which Sultan was knocked down. He immediately put his hand on the floor and got up, and referee Tommy Kimmons decided that the Russian's leg was hooked on the American's leg, and it was not a knockdown, but a shot with a trip.

	The replay showed that the referee made a mistake, because the blow hit Sultan exactly in the head, but Kimmons, fortunately for Ibragimov's fans, had already made his decision. In the eighth and ninth rounds, Austin continued to confidently repel all the opponent's attacks, while he himself threw and landed. In the tenth round, it came to the point where Sultan Ibragimov was knocked down for the first time in his career, and this time no judge could cancel this knockdown. After a left hook, "Russian Hunter" fell directly on his opponent, but Austin stepped aside and the Russian athlete then fell on the canvas.

	Sultan was able to get up, but he was so hurt and defenseless that Austin could finish the fight with just a couple of accurate hits. He did catch Ibragimov a couple of times very hard, and then suddenly stopped. Overall, he allowed Ibragimov to catch his breath and reach the gong.

	The Russian needed to urgently do something to change the nature of the fight. If until the tenth round he was definitely ahead on the scorecards, after the tenth hardly anyone would have risked making a confident conclusion about who is winning.

	In the eleventh round the fight was fairly even, and in the final three-minute segment Ibragimov was again in full control. The situation reminded of the first round. Long story short, it was the judges who had to make a decision. And they decided that it was a draw. One of the referees gave 114:112 in favor of Austin, another had it 113:113, and the third put 115:111 in favor of Ibragimov. A draw meant that the mandatory challenger was not established, and Ibragimov's and Austin's fate should be decided by the IBF board. This governing body can either appoint a rematch or determine other contenders for the qualifying match.

	Sultan Ibragimov's legendary trainer Panama Lewis, who constantly works on developing the "killer instinct" in his fighters, was very dissatisfied with the referee's decision, claiming that the Russian boxer confidently won the fight. Ibragimov's manager Boris Grinberg agreed with Panama Lewis' opinion, emphasizing that Sultan lost three rounds at worst, and therefore, there simply could not be a draw.

	Greenberg and Lewis screamed about the robbery, but we should recognize that Sultan in the second half of the fight frankly did not know what to do with Austin, and he did not hit at all like a king, like in a fight against Whitaker.

	After all, if you want to argue about the fairness of scoring, then Austin can also claim that he was not credited with a clean knockdown. To sum it up, now we can only wait and believe that the IBF council will decide to allow Ibragimov to remain a contender for the championship crown, otherwise the path to it may be very long this time. At last it should be noted that the prize fund of the fight between "Russian Hunter" and "Rain Man" was $810,000. In the end, 75 percent of this sum was received by Austin, as a boxer with a higher rating.