Well boxing fans finally got a unification bout between two of the sport's top heavyweights. It might not have been exciting or dramatic, but Wladimir Klitschko absolutely dominated this fight from the first round. He was cautious but effective, using his longer reach he was able constantly stick the jab right into Sultan Ibragamov's face the whole night. Klitschko felt very comfortable standing in the middle of the ring and throwing straight right hands only sparingly. As a fan of boxing I was anxiously waiting for Klitschko to knock the smaller Ibragamov out, but it looked as though he was satisfied to just get the victory.
Ibragamov could not get anything done the entire night, with the majority of his punches landing on Klitschko's shoulder or back, rather than his face. In one instance a frustrated Ibragamov basically tackled Klitschko; however, Wladimir maintained his cool and won the fight easily. In an odd moment, Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Stewart told his fighter to look for a knockout, something very uncharacteristic for a trainer to say considering it would leave his fighter open for more punches. Stewart understands that with many boxing writers labeling Klitschko as "the real heavyweight champion", he not only has to win, he has to win in entertaining fashion.
Any fan that watched this fight would've been dissapointed by the lack of action from Klitschko; however, it was a necessary first step towards a unified heavyweight champion. Following the fight Klitschko stated, as he has before, that it is his dream for him and his brother, Vitali Klitschko to hold heavyweight championship belts at the same time. Asked if they would ever fight each other, he brushed it aside and said he would wait and see what happens.
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