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Moscow Cancellation Presser!
Ibragimov-Chagaev off; Sultan defends against Holyfield
August 2, 2007
By Alexey Sukachev from ITAR-TASS
Photos by Sergey Sinyakin (RPBF)
It was a day of stunning surprises in Moscow. A press-conference, arranged by the local promoter Yuri Fedorov Sports Lab at the legendary ITAR-TASS building in the very center of the Russian capital was scheduled to once again announce the biggest heavyweight showdown in years: WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov from Tlyarata, Dagestan, Russia, and German-based WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev from Andizhan, Uzbekistan, both undefeated KO artists with a combined record of 44-0-2 and 34 KOs, who would have been fighting in the first heavyweight unification of the decade on October 13 at Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow.
Doubts about the promising clash arose quite quickly though, when yours truly found the names of Ruslan and Sultan on the tables, when it was obvious that neither pugilist was in Moscow or at least in the building. The crowd of reporters, TV stewards and boxing society definitely felt something was up. Perhaps they knew something we didn't or maybe they just sensed it that way. The foggy atmosphere of disguise, proved true a bit later by the fact that there were no Chagaev representatives in attendance.
Finally it came to the end nobody had suspected, three or four hours prior the presser. Only three men came to the scene to address their words to media: former amateur genius and the reigning president of the Professional Boxing Federation of Russia Victor Petrovich Ageev, promoter Yuri Fedorov himself and the Golden Grain representative Alexey Drozdov.
Drozdov was first to make his comments, "I'm here to announce some huge changes in the show proposed, which definitely will result in important consequences. I have two documents with me, both related to Chagaev-Ibragimov showdown. The first one, addressed to our American co-promoter Leon Margules, is signed by Universum Box-Promotion. The second one is from the Professional Boxing Federation of Germany. Unsurprisingly, they are identical in terms of the facts described."
"The papers we have received by fax inform us that after the medical examination it was revealed that Mr. Chagaev was suffering from some undisclosed gastric problems. Those problems will prevent the WBA champion of the world from fulfilling his obligations to fight Sultan Ibragimov (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in a WBA/WBO unification, the fight we have all been waiting for so long. I can sadly assure you that all the papers are carefully prepared and totally legal. The fight between Ibragimov and Chagaev is off, as it's clear from the documents that our Uzbek counterpart won't be able to fight or even to train till the late autumn."
"The next info I want to share with you has come recently from overseas. Our American partners are currently in strong negotiations with the camp of legendary heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-8-2, 27 KOs). In fact, it's almost done and Russian boxing fans will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with one of the world's best fighters ever. There's a great chance to make our spectators happy and we shall do our best not to throw it away. We shall announce this bout in two or three days, as soon as all the papers are signed by both respective camps."
Note: ********* was able to read the cancellation documents. Word for word they state Ruslan Chagaev is suffering from "acute gastrological inflammation."
Next to speak was Yuri Fedorov, "World boxing is a huge business today. There are a lot of political collisions, streams and flows and we have to take them into account. It's worth saying that all Sultan's opponents are falling out or trying to avoid him due to some medical problems and that's really very strange. The same thing twice. First the Briggs fight and now Ruslan Chagaev is also unavailable. It's very sad. However, good news is that we have been warned about the possible cancellation months, not days, before this clash would have started."
"It's true that every cloud has its silver lining. For us that lining is in Evander's gray hair. I will put it straight – our fans need Evander Holyfield a lot more than Ruslan Chagaev. Who is that guy from Uzbekistan? Does anybody know him? Not me! It would have been a hard time to promote such a fight even in spite of its unification nature. Russian spectators know almost nothing about Ruslan, and they do know much about 'the Real Deal.' He is a legend, four-time heavyweight world champion and the first man to crush the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson. The Ibragimov-Chagaev bout is a fight between the glorified past and the talented future. It's useless to say what a great show these guys can provide. That's why I'm not as disappointed as it seems to be."
"Chagaev is a legitimate WBA champion. He is not a paper champion, as he has won his belt in a tough war with Nikolay Valuev. Hence he has every right to fight whomever he wants to fight. But anyway he won't be able to defend his title this year. Not that good for the sport of boxing, of course."
Regarding the possible IBF super flyweight clash between Dmitry Kirillov and Jose Navarro: "Right after the scratched title match between Dima and Mexican Ricardo Vargas IBF supervisor Benedetto Montella has left us with the International Boxing Federation belt. That means that Kirillov's camp has a right to fight for the vacant title here, in Russia, against the highest-ranked foe. And we shall help them to accomplish Russian fighter's life dream. If we arrange the main event of the show, we surely shall put Kirillov's bout in the undercard."
About the title status of Ibragimov-Holyfield battle, "No doubt about that. Ibragimov is the reigning WBO world heavyweight champion. So the fight will be a title one."
The presser was one moment from being closed once and for all, but suddenly reporters were given a chance to speak with Sultan's manager Boris Grinberg and Evander Holyfield via speakerphone.
Boris Grinberg, "Sultan is so used to being in such difficult situations with would-be foes that we were expecting something like this from Chagaev's camp, although we had done our best to save the match. However, yesterday afternoon we have received an official letter from Universum, informing us that Ruslan had to withdraw from the fight due to health problems. Nevertheless, it was a hard low blow for everyone who did their best to arrange this show."
"We immediately started negotiations with Evander Holyfield and his team. There were some rough moments during the discussion but now we are ultimately close to signing the deal. Sultan was sleeping soundly when all that garbage started, so he was very disappointed and shocked to hear about the sudden change in opponent. But he is a true professional, who is able to elevate the heavyweight division towards new heights. We are sure Sultan will prevail over Commander Evander in Moscow."
Evander Holyfield, "I'm looking forward to this match. I want to thank God for that opportunity, for the chance to regain world heavyweight crown. It doesn't matter where the fight will be. I'm ready to showcase my abilities in USA or in Moscow or in whatever place my team will put me in."
"I feel very good. I'm totally prepared for my title opportunity and fully focused on the fight with Sultan Ibragimov. I'm sure in my abilities and I have no doubt that I'll win this match. I have tons of respect for Sultan. He is a warrior and I'm a warrior, too, so that the upcoming bout will be a thrilling show for the fans."
"I don't think this fight will be my last title opportunity. I'm looking forward to unify the heavyweight division and to bring the world crown back to America by beating the Eastern Europe gang."
Ibragimov-Chagaev off; Sultan defends against Holyfield
August 2, 2007
By Alexey Sukachev from ITAR-TASS
Photos by Sergey Sinyakin (RPBF)
| [IMG]http://www.*********.com/1photos/sultanmoscowpresser1.jpg[/IMG] |
| [IMG]http://www.*********.com/1photos/sultanmoscowpresser2.jpg[/IMG] |
| [IMG]http://www.*********.com/1photos/sultanmoscowpresser3.jpg[/IMG] |
It was a day of stunning surprises in Moscow. A press-conference, arranged by the local promoter Yuri Fedorov Sports Lab at the legendary ITAR-TASS building in the very center of the Russian capital was scheduled to once again announce the biggest heavyweight showdown in years: WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov from Tlyarata, Dagestan, Russia, and German-based WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev from Andizhan, Uzbekistan, both undefeated KO artists with a combined record of 44-0-2 and 34 KOs, who would have been fighting in the first heavyweight unification of the decade on October 13 at Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow.
Doubts about the promising clash arose quite quickly though, when yours truly found the names of Ruslan and Sultan on the tables, when it was obvious that neither pugilist was in Moscow or at least in the building. The crowd of reporters, TV stewards and boxing society definitely felt something was up. Perhaps they knew something we didn't or maybe they just sensed it that way. The foggy atmosphere of disguise, proved true a bit later by the fact that there were no Chagaev representatives in attendance.
Finally it came to the end nobody had suspected, three or four hours prior the presser. Only three men came to the scene to address their words to media: former amateur genius and the reigning president of the Professional Boxing Federation of Russia Victor Petrovich Ageev, promoter Yuri Fedorov himself and the Golden Grain representative Alexey Drozdov.
Drozdov was first to make his comments, "I'm here to announce some huge changes in the show proposed, which definitely will result in important consequences. I have two documents with me, both related to Chagaev-Ibragimov showdown. The first one, addressed to our American co-promoter Leon Margules, is signed by Universum Box-Promotion. The second one is from the Professional Boxing Federation of Germany. Unsurprisingly, they are identical in terms of the facts described."
"The papers we have received by fax inform us that after the medical examination it was revealed that Mr. Chagaev was suffering from some undisclosed gastric problems. Those problems will prevent the WBA champion of the world from fulfilling his obligations to fight Sultan Ibragimov (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in a WBA/WBO unification, the fight we have all been waiting for so long. I can sadly assure you that all the papers are carefully prepared and totally legal. The fight between Ibragimov and Chagaev is off, as it's clear from the documents that our Uzbek counterpart won't be able to fight or even to train till the late autumn."
"The next info I want to share with you has come recently from overseas. Our American partners are currently in strong negotiations with the camp of legendary heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-8-2, 27 KOs). In fact, it's almost done and Russian boxing fans will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with one of the world's best fighters ever. There's a great chance to make our spectators happy and we shall do our best not to throw it away. We shall announce this bout in two or three days, as soon as all the papers are signed by both respective camps."
Note: ********* was able to read the cancellation documents. Word for word they state Ruslan Chagaev is suffering from "acute gastrological inflammation."
Next to speak was Yuri Fedorov, "World boxing is a huge business today. There are a lot of political collisions, streams and flows and we have to take them into account. It's worth saying that all Sultan's opponents are falling out or trying to avoid him due to some medical problems and that's really very strange. The same thing twice. First the Briggs fight and now Ruslan Chagaev is also unavailable. It's very sad. However, good news is that we have been warned about the possible cancellation months, not days, before this clash would have started."
"It's true that every cloud has its silver lining. For us that lining is in Evander's gray hair. I will put it straight – our fans need Evander Holyfield a lot more than Ruslan Chagaev. Who is that guy from Uzbekistan? Does anybody know him? Not me! It would have been a hard time to promote such a fight even in spite of its unification nature. Russian spectators know almost nothing about Ruslan, and they do know much about 'the Real Deal.' He is a legend, four-time heavyweight world champion and the first man to crush the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson. The Ibragimov-Chagaev bout is a fight between the glorified past and the talented future. It's useless to say what a great show these guys can provide. That's why I'm not as disappointed as it seems to be."
"Chagaev is a legitimate WBA champion. He is not a paper champion, as he has won his belt in a tough war with Nikolay Valuev. Hence he has every right to fight whomever he wants to fight. But anyway he won't be able to defend his title this year. Not that good for the sport of boxing, of course."
Regarding the possible IBF super flyweight clash between Dmitry Kirillov and Jose Navarro: "Right after the scratched title match between Dima and Mexican Ricardo Vargas IBF supervisor Benedetto Montella has left us with the International Boxing Federation belt. That means that Kirillov's camp has a right to fight for the vacant title here, in Russia, against the highest-ranked foe. And we shall help them to accomplish Russian fighter's life dream. If we arrange the main event of the show, we surely shall put Kirillov's bout in the undercard."
About the title status of Ibragimov-Holyfield battle, "No doubt about that. Ibragimov is the reigning WBO world heavyweight champion. So the fight will be a title one."
The presser was one moment from being closed once and for all, but suddenly reporters were given a chance to speak with Sultan's manager Boris Grinberg and Evander Holyfield via speakerphone.
Boris Grinberg, "Sultan is so used to being in such difficult situations with would-be foes that we were expecting something like this from Chagaev's camp, although we had done our best to save the match. However, yesterday afternoon we have received an official letter from Universum, informing us that Ruslan had to withdraw from the fight due to health problems. Nevertheless, it was a hard low blow for everyone who did their best to arrange this show."
"We immediately started negotiations with Evander Holyfield and his team. There were some rough moments during the discussion but now we are ultimately close to signing the deal. Sultan was sleeping soundly when all that garbage started, so he was very disappointed and shocked to hear about the sudden change in opponent. But he is a true professional, who is able to elevate the heavyweight division towards new heights. We are sure Sultan will prevail over Commander Evander in Moscow."
Evander Holyfield, "I'm looking forward to this match. I want to thank God for that opportunity, for the chance to regain world heavyweight crown. It doesn't matter where the fight will be. I'm ready to showcase my abilities in USA or in Moscow or in whatever place my team will put me in."
"I feel very good. I'm totally prepared for my title opportunity and fully focused on the fight with Sultan Ibragimov. I'm sure in my abilities and I have no doubt that I'll win this match. I have tons of respect for Sultan. He is a warrior and I'm a warrior, too, so that the upcoming bout will be a thrilling show for the fans."
"I don't think this fight will be my last title opportunity. I'm looking forward to unify the heavyweight division and to bring the world crown back to America by beating the Eastern Europe gang."
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