This reporter served here in Japan as a TV commentator of the heavyweight unification bout between IBF champ Wladimir Klitschko and WBO ruler Sultan Ibragimov by receiving a signal from New York. All our TV staff was greatly disappointed at the poorest fight against our high expectations. Yours truly has been a commentator for thirty years, but it was without doubt the worst heavyweight unification bout ever in comparison with the Lewis-Holyfield (twice), Tyson-Smith (second worst), Tyson-Tucker and Ali-Terrell.
Simply there was little action in the Klitschko-Ibragimov unification bout. It really hurt the international boxing industry, since a so-called heavyweight unification bout will not become a good sell to foreign television networks with good prices any longer.
Whose fault? It wasn’t Klitschko’s fault that made it such a least interesting and least action-packed affair. Ibragimov’s negativism was to blame rather than Klitschko’s safety-first strategy. Should the opponent take such an exclusively counterpunching policy, even such an excellent strategist as Emmanuel Steward couldn’t tell his big boy to go forward to take a risk of absorbing Ibragimov’s counters in his waiting game plan.
Had it been held in Japan, a Japanese referee would have frequently ordered Ibragimov to fight harder and throw more punches. Sultan would have received many warnings from the third man for his negative unprofessional performance, and would have been penalized, or disqualified for his unwillingness.
What the referee should have done in New York was to give warnings to the terribly negative Ibragimov. Multi-millions of TV watchers in the world had expected a good fight in the unification bout of the heavyweight champions, but it turned out to be a disaster. You might say, “That’s Ibragimov’s style.” But it was the least favorable style to the crowd that he waited too long and threw too few punches. Ibragimov’s poor performance almost killed great many international fight fans, many of whom will show no interests in any heavyweight unification bouts in the future.
How much money did foreign televisions enterprises pay for showing the Klitschko-Ibragimov bout in their respective countries? Was it worth showing such a dull affair?
The late Nat Fleischer, the founder and editor of The Ring Magazine, who was this reporter’s mentor that guided me to report fights from Japan for more than four decades, used to be a referee. It was a famous story that Fleischer, in serving as a referee in the ring, once temporarily stopped a bout of very negative performers, and asked for a microphone to explain to the crowd that he would disqualify both contestants or declare a No Contest should they continue such a dull fight. The audience supported his strong attitude and resolution as the third man. Since then and there, it turned a hot affair as they desperately started fireworks, because the fighters were really afraid of their purses being confiscated by the commission.
This reporter never criticizes only Ibragimov but recommends future “big” fights to be as entertaining to international TV watchers as possible. Should they earn multi-million dollars in participating in superfights, they will be definitely obliged to show a good fight for the sake of worldwide boxing fans to protect the boxing industry. The referee will take a key role to strongly suggest them to exchange punches and make it a good fight, as the boxers themselves and cornermen as well have to cooperate to do so.