Favorites win at the Garden!

By Matt Richardson and Jason Gonzalez at ringside Things went as planned Thursday night before 1,890 fight fans at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. In the main event, unbeaten 2000 Olympian heavyweight Sultan Ibragimov stopped former cruiserweight champion Al "Ice" Cole in round three. Ibragimov dropped Cole in the third with a left hook to the body followed by an uppercut. Cole beat the count, but after more punishment, referer Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight at 1:46. ---------- Heavyweight Shannon Briggs floored Demetrice King with a straight right then followed up with three consecutive left hooks and a right hand forcing a referee's stoppage at 1:49 of round two. ---------- Unbeaten heavyweight Timur Ibragimov scored a devastating third round KO over Ronald Bellamy. A straight right at 2:56 of round three put Bellamy down for the count. He was taken from the ring on a stretcher. ---------- Former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley scored an eighth round TKO over Felix St. Kitts. Kelley dropped St. Kitts in round seven and was battering him in round eight when St. Kitts' corner threw in the towel. Time was 1:47. Afterwards, Kelley told Fightnews, "My goal is to get another world title at 130." ---------- The card was promoted by Sal Musumeci. (More to come.) Thursday, March 3 2005 PREVIEW Sultan stopped Cole in three when he took Rahman and Whitaker the distance in his previous two fights of which he lost 94-96 on all three cards to Rahman and 110-118, 111-117, and 112-116 to Whitaker. Cole hasn't been beat this badly since he fought Corrie Sanders. It makes you wonder.