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MOSCOW - Russia's Sultan Ibragimov won a unanimous decision over former undisputed world champion Evander Holyfield to retain his WBO heavyweight title on Sunday.
Holyfield, one week short of his 45th birthday, was bidding to become the oldest world heavyweight champion in boxing history but came up short against his 32-year-old opponent.
Two judges scored the fight 117-111 and one had it 118-110 for the undefeated Russian, who improved his record to 22 wins and one draw, with 17 knockouts.
It was the ninth defeat in 53 fights for the American, who was hoping to win his fifth heavyweight title.
The Russian southpaw looked quicker and fresher in the early rounds, often finding the target with his strong left.
But surprisingly Holyfield began to pick up the pace in the later rounds. He shook Ibragimov with a hard right to the head in the eighth round and twice more in the 10th, but the champion withstood the attack as the fight went the distance.
Ibragimov, who won a unanimous decision over American Shannon Briggs in Atlantic City in June to claim the WBO title, raised his arms at the final bell, bringing a capacity 12,000-strong crowd at Moscow's Khodynka Arena to their feet.
Ibragimov was due to fight WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev on the same card but the Uzbek pulled out of the unification bout after falling ill two months ago and was replaced by Holyfield.
The American was just about finished three years ago when he lost three consecutive fights and had his licence revoked by the New York State Athletic Commission.
But he won back his licence after proving his fitness and has since won four times to boost his record to 42 wins, eight defeats and two draws from a professional career that began after he won the bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
- REUTERS
