Klischko Puts Titles on the Line

HAMBURG, Germany (Ticker) -- Wladimir Klitschko is seeking a decisive victory on Saturday night when he puts his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles on the line against Tony Thompson.

Coming off a points victory over Sultan Ibragimov in their title unification in February, the 32-year-old Ukrainian is eager to make a strong statement this time out. "I will try to end this fight as soon as possible," Klitschko said. "It is my goal to win as clearly as possible. And that means early and by KO." It will be a special fight for Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) who returns to the place where he started his professional boxing career 12 years ago. "It is great to be back in Hamburg," he said. "I have so many wonderful memories and after Kiev this city is my second home." Thompson will be no stranger to the local fans following his fifth-round TKO victory over German heavyweight Luan Krasniqi in their WBO title eliminator last summer.

The 36-year-old American (31-1, 19 KOs) is brimming with confidence ahead of his biggest fight. "Klitschko's time is over," Thompson said. "I will beat him, just like I beat Krasniqi. I will put him under pressure from the first round on. I will try to get him off balance and attack his chin. His collection of belts goes to the U.S." Saturday will not mark the first time the two fighters have met in the ring. In 2003, they briefly sparred against each other - something Klitschko claims not to recall. "I can't remember Thompson," he said. "But I called my former coach Fritz Sdunek and he said we made sparring together."

Thompson, meanwhile, was left unimpressed by Klitschko's apparent weak memory. "That he cannot remember me is his problem - I will show him in the ring," he said. "I have improved 100 times since then. The fight will not last the distance." Thompson's confidence has not gone unnoticed in Klitschko's camp, and coach Emmanuel Steward wants his fighter to set the tone early in the bout. "You have to hit him hard quickly so that he loses his confidence," Steward told Sportbild magazine. "He needs to realize that he is in the ring with a boxer from a different league. "Thompson believes after Krasniqi he can now beat up the second guy in Germany. That is why the first round is so important. Thompson needs to panic."

Pacquiao Claims WBC Lightweight Championship

LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Manny Pacquiao completed his drive for five Saturday night when he claimed the WBC lightweight championship by knocking out David Diaz with 36 seconds remaining in the ninth round at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

A legend in his native Philippines and one of the sport's most popular fighters due to his exciting style, Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) thoroughly dominated his adversary to complete his quest to capture five world titles in as many weight classes. Although his WBC junior lightweight belt was not on the line, Pacquiao went on the offensive immediately and opened up a pronounced gash above Diaz's right eye and across the bridge of his nose.

Pacquiao, who already has won titles at flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight, put an end to the carnage in the ninth round with a left jab which caught Diaz on the chin and sent him to the canvas. The 29-year-old Pacquiao recorded his eighth straight victory since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005. Included in that winning streak is a pair knockout wins over Morales.

The 32-year-old Diaz (34-2-1, 17 KOs) was making the second defense of his title after winning a unanimous decision over Morales last August, a verdict which sent the Mexican star into retirement.

Holyfield Would Fight Tyson

LONDON (Ticker) - Evander Holyfield claims he could meet old foe Mike Tyson for a third time despite both former undisputed world heavyweight champions being in their 40s. Holyfield beat Tyson in 1996 and 1997 - the second courtesy of Tyson's infamous disqualification for biting a chunk out of his opponent's ear - and both men have made several questionable comebacks in recent years.

However Holyfield, 45, has revealed he is considering an offer from 41-year-old Tyson's camp to meet in the ring for a third time. "There has been some talk between us," Holyfield told The Guardian newspaper in London. "Mike had Jeff Fenech, who's been training him, call me a few months ago. Jeff says Mike wants to fight me again - but he needs to know if I would agree to it. Holyfield said he sought assurances that Tyson would turn up and fight. "I said, 'It all depends on what they are going to give us - because I'm gonna catch a lot of flak if I say I'm fighting Mike Tyson again. I've already said I don't want to fight Mike no more'," he added. "Jeff says, 'What if Mike gets in proper shape?' I told him that's OK but I can't be part of it if Mike's going to pull out. Jeff said, 'The main thing Mike wants to know is if you would be willing to fight him again?' I said, 'Yeah, if the price is right, I probably would'."

Manager Defends Mayweather

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s manager has defended the boxer's decision to fight at Wrestlemania XXIV next month. Mayweather, the undefeated WBC welterweight champion and widely considered his sport's best pound-for-pound fighter, has taken up a $20 million offer to battle 7-foot World Wrestling Entertainment star Big Show in Orlando, Florida on March 30.

Mayweather will be conceding around 250 pounds to the WWE superstar but his manager Leonard Ellerbe says the move is all about underlining Mayweather's credentials as an entertainer rather than just a boxer, just as he did when the champion appeared on ABC's `Dancing With The Stars' last November. "This is a tremendous, tremendous event, it's entertainment," Ellerbe said in a phone interview Tuesday. "Like anything, it's also a business and it's my responsibility to continue to expand his fanbase and take the Mayweather brand to another level. "Floyd's one of the biggest entertainers in all of entertainment, he already is transcending boxing, he is the face of the sport and for that reason we've been able to change the model of how a fighter conducts his business at the elite level."

To that end, Mayweather's manager insisted the diversion into WWE had nothing to do with helping to promote the boxer's proposed rematch with Oscar De La Hoya this September. "Floyd's an entertainer. This is all about Floyd Mayweather, it has nothing to do with Oscar De la Hoya," Ellerbee said. "Floyd Mayweather's getting $20 million to wrestle in WrestleMania. It has nothing to do with the September fight, I'm trying to take Floyd to a whole other level. "The (WWE) fight speaks for itself and we're not even thinking about Oscar De La Hoya or boxing right now. We're going to do one thing at a time and Floyd's showing his versatility that he can go off and do many, many different things. There'll be a number of other different things he'll do before September and other huge announcements."

Ellerbe dismissed the suggestion that Mayweather was risking an injury that could derail his plans for an even bigger payday. "There's always a risk in anything you do," he said. "You can be getting ready to sing a song and trip and fall so there's a risk in anything. That just comes with the territory."

Klitschko Unifies Title

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko defeated WBO counterpart Sultan Ibragimov by unanimous decision to unify the titles Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Standing at 6-6, the 31-year-old Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) used his four-inch height advantage over Ibragimov (22-1-1) to maintain control over a majority of the contest. It was the first unification contest the heavyweight division has seen since 1999, when Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield here.

But it otherwise was a night to forget as the Ukrainian Klitschko and Russian Ibragimov plodded through a dreary contest punctuated only sporadically by significant moments of action. Klitschko kept Ibragimov at arm's length throughout the opening rounds, patting down the Russian southpaw's leads while throwing only occasional left jabs of his own.

The tactics soon began to wear thin on many of the 14,011 fans in attendance as sporadic boos rang out around the arena. In the build-up to the fight, Klitschko had described Ibragimov as "not impressive but very effective," and he seemed intent on emulating his rival. Round seven saw both fighters open up a little, with Klitschko landing a rare big right to the crouching Ibragimov's left temple, while the Russian replied with a clean left to the Ukrainian's ribs. But the pair reverted back to slow mode soon after, and the jeers increased. Klitschko again hurt his opponent with a right hook to the head midway through the eighth and this time followed with another. I

bragimov hit the canvas soon after, although it was due to a push rather than a punch. But at least the boos subsided. Ibragimov, though, had trudged back to his corner and his mood did not improve as the ninth round got underway. Klitschko sprang to life once more, making the WBO champion backpedal to a neutral corner with several combinations that knocked the Russian onto his haunches and between the ropes. Both fighters hit the floor in the 10th round as Ibragimov bundled Klitschko onto his back and landed on top of him. It provoked the most open exchanges of the fight as the champions finally traded blows. Klitschko remained the dominant fighter, however, and again bore down on Ibragimov in the 11th round, picking his rival off intermittently with isolated left jabs and finishing the round by snapping the Russian's head back with a right hook just before the bell. All Klitschko had to do was ride out the final round, but the last three minutes only brought boos back to the forefron

Heavyweight Unification Bout Set For Saturday

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- It may not produce the excitement as the Ali-Frazier "Fight of the Century," but history will be in the making Saturday night for Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov. Klitschko (49-3, 44 KOs), the IBF heavyweight champion, meets WBO counterpart Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs) at Madison Square Garden.

It will be the first unification contest the division has seen since 1999, when Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield at the Garden, prompting Kery Davis, the head of boxing at fight broadcaster HBO to comment, "Unifications are rare, heavyweight unifications are even rarer." So rare that Klitschko promoter Tom Loeffler had to be reminded by fight co-promoter Leon Margules that even his fighter, embarking on his 53rd professional fight, had not been involved in this sort of occasion before. "I was talking to Leon Margules and I asked, 'Is this the biggest fight you've ever been involved in?'" Loeffler said at Wednesday's final pre-fight press conference "He said, 'Of course, and it's also the biggest fight you've ever been involved in, too.'" Both fighters also are aware of the importance this fight has in restoring credibility to a long troubled division in a much-maligned sport. "To be the heavyweight champion means a lot," Klitschko said. "The title is very special and is different than other titles in sport. The heavyweight champion can use that title to inspire people outside of the ring all over the world. "I am determined to win this fight. I am not looking beyond that. That is my determination and goal - to clean up the heavyweight division with each fighter I face."

Standing at 6-6, the 31-year-old Klitschko enjoys a four-inch height advantage over Ibragimov, 32. But he is wary of the Russian's relatively quick feet and effective rather than entertaining style. Ibragimov weighed in at 219 pounds for the second straight fight. Klitschko weighed in at 238 pounds, his lightest fighting weight since beating another "small" southpaw, Chris Byrd, in 2000. "I'm the lightest I've ever been but I feel strong and energetic," Klitschko said after Thursday's weigh-in. "I feel great. The weight was a result of intensive training with fighters who were all at least one weight class below me."

Ibragimov certainly has handled big men before, taking his title from the 6-4 Shannon Briggs and stopping 6-8 Lance Whitaker. Trainer Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of current pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., certainly thinks Ibragimov has the goods to upset the favorite. "I have the heavyweight champion, he's the right guy with the right temperament," Mayweather said. "This is the opportunity I have waited my whole life for. It has brought me out of the shadows of being the other Mayweather."

Klitschko Ready For Saturday

NEW YORK (Ticker) - IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is in peak physical condition for Saturday night's unification title bout with Sultan Ibragimov on Saturday night. That's the opinion of unbeaten Irish middleweight Andy Lee, who is a sparring partner of Klitschko. Klitschko and WBO champion Ibragimov of Russia meet at Madison Square Garden in the first heavyweight unification bout since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield to become undisputed champion in 1999.

Klitschko and Lee, the Irish super-middleweight champion with a 15-0 (12 KOs) record, share the same trainer in Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward. And despite being a middleweight, the Detroit-based Irishman - a 6-2 southpaw - has become a regular sparring partner, particularly when the heavyweight is training to face a lefty such as Chris Byrd two years ago or Ibragimov this weekend. After breaking training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, 2004 Olympian Lee said the IBF champ is ready to go. "Klitschko's looking very good. He always prepares 110 per cent in every aspect of his boxing," Lee said. "His approach is just so professional that he's always going to be ready. "His body is a work of perfection and he's just so focused. "When he's in camp he's just so switched on, whether he's training, sparring or watching videos with Emanuel. What he eats, how much he sleeps, everything is monitored." Lee said Klitschko's focus never waves during his preparation for a bout. "When he turns up to camp he only brings about three outfits because he just trains and trains and trains," Lee said. "He doesn't go out or hang around with a lot of people, just talks to Emanuel a lot, before and after training. They spend a lot of time together working on things."

Lee has a fight of his own to prepare for on March 21, with a television debut on ESPN against the "Contender III's" Brian Vera (15-1, 9 KOs) at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Being in camp with Klitschko, Lee said, can only benefit his own career as he homes in on a middleweight title shot. "To me he's a great role model and I look up to him a lot," Lee said. "When he's in New York he'll know exactly what he's doing, when he's doing it, what car is picking him up and at what time. Everything he does is so professional. "That just comes from years and years of experience but for me, if you want to pick up certain things without making mistakes he's done all that stuff. And he's a great guy as well, the way he handles the public, giving autographs and that side of things. He's very good with people and takes his time with everyone."

Jones Jr. Defeats Trinidad

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Roy Jones Jr. defied the critics and his 39 years to score an impressive victory over fellow veteran Felix "Tito" Trinidad at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. The eight-time and five-division world champion Jones twice knocked down his Puerto Rican opponent en route to a 12-round unanimous decision in their non-title, 170-pound catchweight bout.

Jones (52-4, 38 KOs) called out world super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe before the fight. While the Welshman will not lose too much sleep as he prepares to face Bernard Hopkins, Jones did enough for him to be considered a viable opponent. "I had a great training camp and great sparring partners, and I'm pretty much 'Mr. Unstoppable,'" Jones said immediately after the fight. "I'll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime, and if Hopkins-Calzaghe finishes how I think it will, I'll even go to Wales and fight. I don't care."