By Andrey Krikunov
Former WBO world heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov has put on the record that although he didn’t officially announce the end of his boxing career, he told Sovetskiy Sport that he more than likely wouldn’t return to the ring.
“I came back from America 10 days ago. I spent a week in Miami. Of course, I visited my gym where I had been training for so many years. I saw all the guys, had a training session. And now I understand that I have to work very hard to reach the level I was at two years ago," Ibragimov said.
"Of course I get a lot of calls and proposals. But I’m not interested in it right now. What do I have to prove? I don’t want to announce that I quit boxing. Because there are lots of examples when boxers did that and then returned 2-3 years later. I can simply say that most likely I won’t return to boxing. I’ve already been the champion. I don’t need money – I have profitable oil business. Of course, if I could fight Klitschko again, I would sacrifice a lot of things. But as far as I understand Klitschko is booked for at least three years ahead. And I don’t see the point in starting everything from the scratch."
Sultan also says that his manager Boris Grinberg still owes him the money for the bout with Wladimir Klitschko. “His is paying me, but in parts. Boris is very unwilling to give the money away" - the boxer said – "It’s a very unpleasant situation when people you absolutely trusted deceive you. It also doesn’t inspire me to come back in the ring."
Also Ibragimov admitted that he didn’t watch the fight between David Haye and Nikolay Valuev for the WBA heavyweight championship because he knew all along that “they would flunk Nikolay in that bout."
“Anybody who understands at least something about boxing figured out even before the fight that Valuev would struggle against a small and fast Haye - explained Sultan – "It’s the most unpleasant opponent for Nikolay. They could have found a more suitable opponent for him, considering that it was his voluntary defense. But they chose Haye, which means they decided to flunk Valuev. It’s evident [to me] by knowing people. After the bout I got the confirmation of my assumptions in the words of Valuev’s and Haye’s now common co-promoter. Now Wilfried Sauerland will have 50 percent of the Haye’s revenues for his next 3 bouts. That’s the way they’re doing their business. I think that Don King also had a big part in that scheme. Probably Don King, Wilfried Sauerland and Haye’s team arranged everything behind Valuev’s back."
