Timur Ibragimov
By Michael Amakor | December 1, 2011
On December 10, 2011, Uzbekistan’s Timur Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16kos) takes on Seth Mitchell in a scheduled 10 round heavyweight fight as the co-feature of the Lamont Peterson versus Amir Khan light welterweight unification title fight at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.
Almost lost in the promotional media hype machine by Los Angeles based Golden Boy Promotions that is behind Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (23-0, 17kos) from Washington DC, stands the formidable 6’3” Timur, a former 1996 Olympian with over 200 amateur fights, and a former WBC Fecarbox, NABA, and IBA Continental heavyweight champion.
Very impressive, until you realize that despite all his accomplishments there is the perception that he is the underdog test fighter for the unproven twenty nine year old Seth Mitchell, a fighter barely breaking into the list of ranked heavyweights, even if he packs they proverbial fight ending power punch and is unbeaten.
“I really don’t care, blurted out the thirty five year old Timur who fights well behind a left jab followed by combinations “I know one thing. On December 10th, I will be ready for him 100% and that’s why this really does not bother me, all I know is that December 10th there will be war.”
His last fight, a split decision loss to Jean Marc Mormeck for the vacant WBA international title in December 2010 particularly rankles Timur .
I got to his hometown and was expecting at least two neutral judges, but they had three Frenchmen and I was ready to go home and then the added just one neutral judge but he was still overruled 2 to 1 against me, now that should tell you something.
Timur’s other losses, all high profile, were to American heavyweights Calvin Broch and Tony Thompson in 06 and 07 respectively in lopsided decisions in the United States, so you would think that he would be extremely weary of coming to the US or overseas for another fight, but he seemed unfazed, and for good reason when you remember that he was successful against former champ Oliver McCall in Hollywood Florida also in 2010, and his road warrior mentality was evident as he remarked:
“What I like in this fight is that it is on national TV and I like American judges and the fans, the are honest, that’s why I am here and that’s why I’m taking this fight, as soon as I start fighting and beating Seth Mitchell, everybody will start liking me, and start chanting “Timur, Timur.”
With that type of attitude, you can’t help but rout for him, will he make the match makers regret their choice of him as the test opponent, or will he prove them right, one things for sure there is no better arena for him to show case his skills than in the nations capital.
The fight card appropriately named “Capital Showdown” will be televised in the United States on HBO World Championship Boxing from about 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. Don’t miss it.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
