06.09.05 – Undefeated and world-ranked Sultan Ibragimov, one of the most exciting and highly regarded heavyweight contenders in the world, and a WBA lightweight title-elimination bout between Ebo Elder, generally regarded as the most promising 135-pound prospect in the world, and former two-time world champion Lakva Sim headline a nationally and internationally televised card featuring three 12-round bouts promoted by Guilty Boxing and sponsored by Nafta Moskva Sept. 16 in Duluth, Ga..
Ibragimov defends his World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific heavyweight championship against Friday Ahunanya of Las Vegas in a 12-round title bout.
The winner of the Elder-Sim 12-round fight meets current WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz in a mandatory title bout.
Other fights on the Guilty Boxing card include a 12-round title bout matching
Luis Arceo of Tijuana, Mexico, against Rustam Nugaev of Los Angeles for the vacant WBA Fedecentro lightweight championship and a 10-round title fight pitting Merhav Mohar of Brooklyn, N.Y., against Xavier Tolliver of Arapahoe, N.C., for the vacant World Boxing Council Fecarbox welterweight championship.
Tickets, priced at $20, $40, $60, $100 and $150, are available at The Arena at Gwinnett Center box office from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern) Monday through Friday or by calling 770-813-7600 during those days and hours. Tickets also are available at Georgia TicketMaster locations (Publix and Tower Records), by calling TicketMaster at 404-249-6400 or 800-326-4000 and at ticketmaster.com
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout at 7.
The card will be televised nationally on ComCast Sports; internationally in Europe, Africa and middle eastern countries on Fox Sports International, in Europe and Africa on BEN Television, in the Caribbean on WCVI Super Station and in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines and Russia; and Spanish-language on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Dos.
The 30-year-old Ibragimov, a silver medalist for Russia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has a record of 17-0 with 15 knockouts and is ranked No. 8 by the WBO.
The 33-year-old Ahunanya, originally from Nigeria and dubbed Friday “The 13th,” has a record of 20-3-2 with 11 knockouts.
Ibragimov, a southpaw, is a devastating body puncher and fights in an aggressive style reminiscent of Joe Frazier.
Both Ibrgaimov and his cousin, Timur, a promising heavyweight in his own right, are managed by Boris Grimberg, trained by Carlos Humberto “Panama” Lewis and represented in the United States by Sampson Lewkowicz, who also is the matchmaker for the Sept. 16 card.
The 26-year-old Elder, who was born and raised in Atlanta and now lives in nearby Newnan, Ga., has a record of 22-1 with 14 knockouts and is ranked No. 5 by the WBA.
Elder, a quick and crafty southpaw nicknamed “The X-treme Machine,” was the WBO North American Boxing Organization lightweight champion, a title he won last October, until he voluntarily relinquished it. Elder was scheduled to fight WBA lightweight champion Diaz during April on an ESPN PPV card. That fight was cancelled after Diaz suffered an injury during training.
The 33-year-old Sim, originally from Mongolia, has a record of 20-4-1 with 17 knockouts and is ranked No. 2 by the WBA.
Sim was the WBA super featherweight champion during 1999 and the WBA lightweight champ last year. He lost the WBA 135-pound title to Diaz by 12-round unanimous decision July 7, 2004, in Houston.
The 26-year-old Arceo has a record of 19-2-2 with 13 knockouts.
The 22-year-old Nugaev, originally from Russia, has a record of 14-4 with six knockouts.
The 22-year-old Mohar, originally from Israel where he rose to the rank of sergeant in the Israeli Army, has a record of 16-1 with 10 knockouts.
The 25-year-old Tolliver has a record of 18-4 with 11 knockouts.