GERMANY: BOXING - IBF champion Vladimir Klitschko to face WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov in Heavyweight unification decider at Madison Square Garden

Vladimir Klitschko is excited about facing Ibragimov in unification bout to decide the boxing World Champion. IBF world heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko will fight WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov in a unification bout at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23 next year. "I think that this is an historic moment because the last unification bout was nine years ago, now it is a new title-fight after nine years, and I am excited about this historic moment and of course this historic fight," Klitschko said in Hamburg on Monday (November 26). The 31-year-old Ukrainian Klitschko was WBO champion from 2000 to 2003. He won the IBF title from Chris Byrd in 2006 and he has staged three successful defences. He said he wanted to fight in Madison Square because that is the right place for such an historical event. Russia's Ibragimov, 32, won the WBO title against Shannon Briggs in June this year and defended it in October against Evander Holyfield. Whoever wins in February will still not be able to lay claim to the title of undisputed world champion. "I want to be the champion by all definitions, and this is the way to do it," said Ibragimov. "And if I win this fight, then I shall start to negotiate other fights straight away, so that I can finally be champion in everything," he added. Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan holds the WBA belt, while Oleg Maskaev of Russia will fight Nigeria's interim champion Samuel Peter for the WBC title in February. Klitschko's brother Vitali is hoping for a crack at the winner of that fight.

ITN Source | November 27, 2007

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