KEY POINTS:
IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBO titleholder Sultan Ibragimov hope to wrap up negotiations this week for a bout to unify two of the four heavyweight world boxing titles.
The fighters expect to sign this week in New York to fight on February 23 in Madison Square Garden.
Regarded by many as the best of the current heavyweights, Klitschko (49-3, 44 knockouts) tops the independent IBO rankings.
Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 knockouts) pounded out a unanimous decision against Evander Holyfield last month.
Holyfield lost heavyweight boxing's last unification fight in 1999, dropping his WBA and IBF belts to WBC champion Lennox Lewis.
The current fractured state of the title in boxing's marquee division is blamed in part for a slide in the sport's popularity.
The other two heavyweight champions are Ruslan Chagaev of the WBA and Samuel Peter of the WBC.
