Heavyweights draw at Seminole Hard Rock

First off, heavyweight Sultan Ibragimov is not all that he was cracked up to be.

Tysonesque? Um, not really…

High volume puncher, an all action guy with sharkish tendencies?

Not so much.

But Ibragimov is no bum, and neither was his foe on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, 35-year-old Ohioan Ray Austin.

Ibragimov (19-0-1) got off to a stronger start in a heavyweight beef at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena in Hollywood, Florida last night, as the southpaw stood in the pocket against the taller foe and found a home for his straight left.

But as the rounds progressed, Austin (24-3-4) showed his experience. Yes, he has a lazy jab, keeps his hands low and shows poor balance at times…

But as the bout moved forward, Austin kept a better distance and caught the Russian coming in with a long right. Ibragimov, age 31, was more hesitant to attack as Austin found his way.

In the tenth, Austin, age 35, put Ibragimov down for the first time as a pro, with a sweeping left hook.

Ibragimov, not to be confused with his lesser-light cousin Timur, kept his composure. He finished the show strong, pressing the issue in the twelfth, when he had Austin in a slightly precarious state.

Analyst Teddy Atlas made a point of Ibragimov’s 11 pound weight gain since his last fight (in December against Lance Whitaker), but truth be told, he wore the weight well on his 6-2 inch frame.

The winner was supposed to get a crack at the winner of the Wladimir Klitschko/Shannon Briggs November fight.

My concept – have Ibragimov and Austin do it again in October, since no clear better man emerged tonight.

Then have the winner fight the Klitschko/Briggs winner in March….

That work for you, TSS Blog Squadders?