ESPN2 Friday Night Fights

Sultan Ibragimov vs. Ray Austin

 

July 28, 2006

Seminole HardRock Hotel & Casino

Hollywood, Florida

 

 

Featured Bout:

IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator Bout (12 Rds)

Sultan Ibragimov (19-0, 16 KOs) vs. Ray Austin (24-3-3, 16 KOs)

 

Undercard (may not be televised):

Jr. Welterweight Bout (8 Rds)

Randall Bailey (32-5, 29 KOs) vs. Russell Stoner Jones (19-13, 14 KOs)

 

Featherweight Bout (4 Rds)

Angel Luis Torres (0-1-1) vs. Eylon Keden (1-0-1)

Middleweight Bout (8 Rds)

Samuel Miller (14-0, 12 KOs) vs. Jason Naugler (15-5-1, 10 KOs)

Middleweight Bout (6 Rds)

Felix Cepeda (7-1, 4 KOs) vs. Jameson Bostic (6-3, 4 KOs)

 

Jr. Welterweight Bout
Richard Abril (4-0) vs. Flud Lawson (0-0)

 

Jr. Middleweight Bout (4 Rds)
Eliezer Cepeda (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Anthony Greenidge (2-0, 1 KO)
 

 

 

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Ibragimov Readies For Austin

“I Will Not Stop Until I Am Heavyweight Champion Of The World”

 

HOLLYWOOD, FL - For many European fighters, boxing is simply a sport, a competitive contest between

two athletes, and nothing more. Unbeaten heavyweight contender Sultan Ibragimov doesn’t subscribe to

that school of thought. For him, boxing is his life – it’s what has allowed him to rise from the streets of

Russia and be one victory away from fighting for the sport’s most prestigious prize, the world heavyweight

championship.

 

So don’t expect him to go away quietly if things aren’t going his way in the ring, chalk it up to a bad night

and move on. Ibragimov is a fighter, and he will fight with every last ounce of his strength and will to be

victorious. It’s something that separates him from his peers in the fight game.

 

“People talk about my size, saying I’m too small to fight the giants,” said the 6-2, 220 pound Ibragimov.

“But my heart is bigger than all of them combined and I will not stop until I am heavyweight champion of the

world.”

 

Born in Tlyarata, Dagestan in Russia, Ibragimov was always one of the toughest and strongest children in

his neighborhood, and he gravitated to wrestling early on. But by the age of 14, he was bitten by the boxing

bug and began a lifelong quest to become the world heavyweight champion.

 

In 2000, Ibragimov won an Olympic Silver medal for Russia, losing only to Cuban legend Felix Savon via

decision, and he then entered the pro ranks two years later.

 

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of fights, knockouts, and impressive victories. Ibragimov’s record stands at

19 wins without a loss, with 16 KOs, and on Friday, July 28, he will look to make it 20-0 when he faces

tough veteran Ray Austin in a 12 round IBF championship eliminator. The winner gets a shot at current

champion Wladimir Klitschko.

 

“I’m not thinking about Klitschko now,” said Ibragimov. “Ray Austin is the one man standing in my way, and

until I remove him on July 28, nothing else matters.”

 

To prepare for Austin, Ibragimov has been putting in long hours in Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s Contender’s

Gym, sparring with the likes of Al Cole, Corey Sanders, and Przemyshlaw Saleta. It’s a long way from

home for Ibragimov, but the work is no less grueling.

 

“Nothing good comes without hard work,” said the 31-year old southpaw. “Some of the fighters in this division

think they can just show up and win. They can’t – not against me at least. I will outwork anyone I fight, in

and out of the ring.”

 

It’s the philosophy that the greats have had, and one that Sultan Ibragimov lives by. He’s not flashy, he

doesn’t talk trash, and he’s as quiet outside the ring as he is aggressive inside of it.

 

But one thing’s for sure…on July 28, people will know who Sultan Ibragimov is.

 

Ibragimov-Austin, part of a hard-hitting night of boxing presented by Warriors Boxing Promotions, Golden

Grain Promotions, Sampson Lewkowicz in association with the Seminole Tribe of Forida, will be televised

live on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights beginning at 9pm ET / 6pm PT. Tickets, priced at $25, $50, $100, and

$150, are available by calling 954.523.3309 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
 

 

- Press Release issued by Warriors Boxing Promotions with a little editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)

 

 

Subject to change

 

 

 

(7/27/06)