Since this board is heavy into rating fighters, I have a great what if. What If Holyfield upsets Sultan Ibragimov and wins the WBO title? Foreman is beloved for winning the title back at nearly the same age. Foreman lost his first two 1990s title bouts to Holyfield and Morrison, but scored a memorable come from behind Ko over Michael Morrer to win a title. By defeating Morrer, Foreman proved he was still a good fighter past his 40th birthday. I guess Holyfield potential legacy / ratings boost depends on how good Sultan Ibragimov turns out. Ive seen Sultan before. Hes an aggressive southpaw type who throws punches in bunches, and packs a fair amount of power in his blows. Ibragimov has good hand speed too. My best guess is Ibragimov knocks the old warrior out in the mid rounds, but the question of the thread is what if Holyfield wins? Will the win do as much for him as it did for Foreman?
No, he's fighting for a abc strap, not the lineal heavyweight championship. Ibragimov doesn't even look like he's the best of the abc strap holders.
I dont think Holy will win, but if he did in my mind it would reflect on how poor Sultan is rather than how good Evander is/was.
It would definitly be a sign of great longetivity. Sultan is not the man to beat, but he's a top3 contender for sure, WBO champ. It would be on par with Holmes beating Mercer, if not better. I think he's better than Mercer although they have different qualities (durability/boxing skill). On a sidenote, he barely got by an unmotivated top20 in Fres Oquendo. Ibragimov is quite a good fighter, i think he'll hand Holyfield a painful loss.
It would mean that at age 44 he's still able to beat a decent fighter, which is an achievement by itself. But nobody is gonna regard him as "the champ" because of it.
I think the belts by themselves dont matter as much as they used to. For example the WBO has Calzaghe, and Taylor as their champions at 168 and 160. These two are the best at their weight class. If Holyfield wins the title again, I betcha dollars to donuts the press doesnt care if its the WBO belt.
Undisupted Lineal Title... ULT and we have another piece of alphabet crap... There is only one championship that matters, it is not the WBA, C or O; it is not Lineage (whatever that is) or Undisupted (whatever that is) it is the World Championship, when the best two fighters in a division fight each other...
It would be good for Holyfield's legacy, but as others have said it's not on the same level as what Foreman did when he beat Moorer. Moorer was the lineal champ, also with both the WBA and IBF straps, while Foreman was coming off a points loss and about 17 months' worth of inactivity. I do think it would reflect badly on Sultan and the division if Holy won. Great personal victory for Holyfield, bad in general because, for better or for worse, Sultan is supposed to be one of the top guys in HW boxing as a belt-holder.
This sums it up. Boxing might receive a short term boast in interest if Holyfield pulls off the upset. The proposition of Holyfield winning a belt is a real catch 22. Holfyfield is a fighter. He will meet Wlad to unify. If that fight ever takes place, Holyfields courage could spell disaster for him. Ibragimov isnt the best of the belt holders, but he looks to be the most mobile. His new trainer Roger Mayweather has transformed a helter skelter swarming style into a man who could box, get angles, and use his hand speed to pile up points and counter if the situation calls for it. Most swamers lack these boxing skills. If Ibragimov cant knock Holfyfield out, he can certainly move around and out box him. I think Ibragimovs stamina and chin are good enough to go 12, and survive an occasional hard shot. Older fighters often have the hardest time vs faster opponents. At this stage of the game, Holyfield is no longer a top ten fighter, but hes still better than the Ray Austins, and Petter Okellos of boxing who received recent title shots. Its a pity Chagaev pulled out due to illness. Chagaev vs Ibragimov would have given heavyweight boxing a rare title unification match between two un-defeated fighters, with the winner likely getting a huge pay day to fight Wlad in Germany.
I confess that I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to how Sultan's fight. I didn't see the fight with Briggs (thank God) or any of his other fights, so I don't even really know what he's like. Isn't he a southpaw...? His gameplan for Holyfield would seem an obvious one. Stick 'n' move, work the jab consistantly, and guard against the left hooks to the body and head.