Sultan Ibragimov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sultan Ibragimov Султан Ибрагимов
Statistics
Real name	Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	1.88 m
Reach	193 cm
Nationality	Russian
Born	(1975-03-08) 8 March 1975 (age 50) Tlyarata, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	24
Wins	22
Wins by KO	17
Losses	1
Draws	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Russia Olympic Games Silver 2000 Sydney Heavyweight European Championships Silver 2000 Tampere Heavyweight World Championships Bronze 2001 Belfast Heavyweight

Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov (born March 8, 1975) is a Russian former professional boxer. He competed from 2002 to 2008. Sultan held the WBO world heavyweight title from 2007 to 2008. A heavyweight boxer is someone who weighs over 200 pounds. He was known for fighting with a southpaw style, meaning he led with his right hand and foot, and punched mostly with his left.

Sultan Ibragimov won silver medals at the 2000 Olympics and the 2000 European Championships. He also earned a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. All these achievements were in the heavyweight division. He is one of only a few southpaw boxers to become a world heavyweight champion. Sultan Ibragimov is also one of only five former world heavyweight champions who were never knocked out in a fight. He lost only one fight in his career, which was his very last one.

Amateur Boxing Career

Sultan Ibragimov started boxing when he was 17 years old. He began training in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A top boxing official named Ramazan Abacharayev, who was also from Dagestan, noticed Sultan's talent. Abacharayev became Sultan's trainer and mentor for many years.

Sultan had a very successful amateur career. He competed in over 130 fights and won 135 of them. He was known for his strong performances and rarely lost.

Major Amateur Achievements

• In September 2000, Sultan won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He reached the finals but lost to the famous Cuban boxer Félix Savón.
• In May 2000, he also won a silver medal at the European Championships in Tampere, Finland.
• In June 2001, Sultan earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Professional Boxing Journey

After his amateur success, Sultan Ibragimov became a professional boxer. He had his first professional fight on May 25, 2002. He won by knockout in the first round. Sultan won his first five professional fights by knockout.

Early Professional Fights

In his sixth fight, Sultan faced Chad Butler. Both boxers had won all their previous fights by knockout. Sultan knocked Butler down three times, but Butler kept fighting. Sultan won the fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed he won. This fight was tough, and Sultan later said it was one of the most interesting of his career. The famous boxing trainer Angelo Dundee was in Sultan's corner for this fight. Dundee praised Sultan's talent and predicted he would become a world champion.

Sultan continued to win his fights. He returned to Russia for some of his early matches, winning by knockout or technical knockout. A technical knockout (TKO) happens when the referee stops the fight because one boxer cannot continue safely. He then went back to the United States. In October 2004, Sultan won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific heavyweight title. He defended this title several times, showing his strength and skill. By the end of 2004, Sultan had a perfect record of 14 wins and no losses.

Facing Tougher Opponents

In March 2005, Sultan took on a more experienced boxer, Al Cole. Sultan won by technical knockout in the third round. Just a month and a half later, he fought Zuri Lawrence, who had never been knocked out before. Sultan knocked Lawrence down four times, and the referee stopped the fight in the eleventh round to protect Lawrence.

In September 2005, Sultan faced Friday Ahunanya. This was a challenging fight. Sultan won by a technical decision after the fight was stopped due to a cut on Ahunanya's eye caused by an accidental head clash. The judges scored the fight in Sultan's favor.

Two months later, Sultan fought Lance Whitaker, a tall and powerful boxer. Before the fight, there was a lot of tension between the two boxers. In the actual fight, Sultan knocked Whitaker down three times. The referee stopped the fight in the seventh round because Whitaker could not continue. Sultan's performance was very impressive. After this win, Sultan was ranked among the top heavyweight contenders by several boxing organizations.

The Ray Austin Fight

In July 2006, Sultan Ibragimov fought Ray Austin in a very important match. This fight was to decide who would be the mandatory challenger for the IBF world heavyweight title. Austin had a long unbeaten streak. The fight was very close and ended in a split draw. This means one judge thought Sultan won, one thought Austin won, and one thought it was a tie. Even though it was a draw, many people felt Sultan had outboxed Austin. This fight was named the "Fight of the Year" for the Friday Night Fights series on ESPN.

Becoming World Heavyweight Champion

Ibragimov vs. Briggs

By October 2006, Sultan Ibragimov was ranked the number one heavyweight contender by the WBO. He was set to challenge Shannon Briggs for the WBO world heavyweight title. The fight was first postponed because Briggs became ill. Sultan then had a quick fight against Javier Mora in March 2007, winning by knockout in just 46 seconds. This was the fastest knockout in a main event at Madison Square Garden.

Sultan finally fought Shannon Briggs for the WBO title on June 2, 2007. Sultan was much lighter than Briggs. The fight was careful, with Sultan using his speed and movement to avoid Briggs' punches. Sultan won the fight by unanimous decision, becoming the new WBO world heavyweight champion!

Ibragimov vs. Holyfield

After winning the title, Sultan Ibragimov was supposed to fight Ruslan Chagaev in a unification match in Moscow. A unification fight is when two champions fight to hold both titles. However, Chagaev had to pull out due to health issues. Instead, the legendary former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield stepped in to fight Sultan on October 13, 2007.

The fight started carefully, with Sultan keeping his distance. As the fight went on, Sultan took control, hitting Holyfield with combinations to the head and body. Sultan won the fight by unanimous decision, successfully defending his WBO world heavyweight title. This fight was very popular in Russia, watched by 7.5 million viewers.

Unification Fight Against Wladimir Klitschko

In October 2007, Sultan Ibragimov began talks to fight Wladimir Klitschko, who held the IBF world heavyweight title. This was a huge fight because it would be the first heavyweight unification match since 1999. The fight was set for February 23, 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Most boxing experts expected Klitschko to win. Klitschko's trainer praised Sultan's speed and movement. Sultan's trainer was confident Sultan could win.

From the start, both boxers were careful. Klitschko used his height and reach advantage to keep Sultan at a distance with his jab. Sultan tried to get closer but found it difficult. Klitschko controlled the fight, landing more punches. Sultan lost the fight by unanimous decision. This was his first and only loss in his professional career.

Retirement

After his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, rumors began about Sultan Ibragimov retiring from boxing. These rumors were confirmed in July 2009. Sultan later explained that he retired because of ongoing problems with his left hand, including several fractures.

Personal Life

Sultan Ibragimov is of Avar Dagestani descent. He is a Muslim.

Professional Boxing Record

Fight Viewership

United States Viewership

Russia Viewership

See also

In Spanish: Sultán Ibraguímov para niños