Evander Holyfield can become a world heavyweight champion for the fifth time when he fights Russia's Sultan Ibragimov on Oct. 13 in Moscow.
Six days before his 45th birthday, Holyfield will fight for the lesser-regarded World Boxing Organization (WBO) crown after the withdrawal of Uzbek Ruslan Chagaev, the World Boxing Association champion, from a scheduled fight with the undefeated Ibragimov.
Holyfield would not become the oldest champion in heavyweight history. George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 at 45 years and nearly 10 months of age to claim the WBA and International Boxing Federation titles.
PHOTO: AP
"This is the first step on my quest to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and I'm glad Sultan Ibragimov was willing to step up and give me a shot," Holyfield said. "I'm looking forward to fighting in Moscow for the first time and winning my fifth heavyweight title there."
Holyfield, 42-8 with two drawn and 27 knockouts, last fought for a world title in 2002 when fellow US fighter Chris Byrd won a unanimous 12-round decision for the vacant IBF crown.
In 2004, the New York State Athletic Commission banned Holyfield from boxing in the state but amended the suspension the next year so he could return to the ring in other places.
Since then, Holyfield has won four fights in a row in his comeback bid, the most recent a unanimous decision over US rival Lou Savarese on June 30.
Ibragimov, 21-0 with one draw and 17 knockouts, won a silver medal for Russia at the 2000 Olympics. He took the WBO throne from US fighter Shannon Briggs in June.
"Of course I'm disappointed that Chagaev pulled out of our fight and won't allow me to unify our titles, but fighting a legend like Evander Holyfield is even better," Ibragimov said.
"And though I respect what he has done in his career, once the bell rings it will be all business, because he is trying to take what I have worked so hard for -- my world championship," he said.
Shaquille O’Neal is staying with TNT Sports on a new contract worth more than US$15 million per year, Front Office Sports reported on Friday. The news means the cast of Inside the NBA is staying together even as TNT is set to license out the show to ESPN starting next season. TNT was the odd network out in the NBA’s recent TV rights negotiations, as NBC and Amazon joined previous rightsholder ESPN in inking deals for basketball games. That left TNT without a need for pregame and postgame NBA shows. In a trade with ESPN, TNT is licensing Inside the NBA to the
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. She is No. 17 in the pickleball rankings and constantly appears on the main court at events because she is always a big draw. However, just to be absolutely clear, she is not retired from tennis. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist still practices on the tennis court, still competes at tennis events and still has a Women’s Tennis Association ranking (No. 1,288). The Canadian standout just has a new sport that has caught her attention. Bouchard is one of several familiar tennis names — like Jack Sock and Donald Young — crossing over to
Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum on Sunday combined for 27 points as Shaquille O’Neal’s “Team Shaq” cruised to victory in the new-look NBA All-Star game in San Francisco. Curry, playing on his home court at Golden State’s Chase Center, reeled off a string of trademark three-pointers to help his star-studded lineup coast to a 41-25 victory over Charles Barkley’s “Team Chuck.” Boston Celtics star Tatum finished with 15 points after delivering a dominant performance in a starting lineup that also included Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and James Harden. Team Shaq’s preparations for the game had been dealt a blow shortly before tip-off when