"We phoned Mike yesterday, and Sultan congratulated the legend with his 41st birthday," said Ibragimov's manager Boris Grinberg via Alexey Drozdov (Golden Grain general director) to Fightnews.com's Russian correspondent. "Mike thanked us for the greetings and wished Sultan all the best in his upcoming unification title clash with WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev. "Chagaev is known as the White Tyson", said the original Tyson, according to Mr. Grinberg, "That's incorrect. The only Tyson is me and not Chagaev. I don't think he is worthy of using such a nickname now." The WBO/WBA unification between unbeaten titlists Sultan Ibragimov (21-0-1, 18 KOs) and Ruslan Chagaev (23-0-1, 17 KOs) will take place in Moscow on October, 13. This bout, presented by NAFTA Moskva, and promoted by the Seminole Warriors Boxing, the Golden Grain Promotions and Sampson Lewkowicz in association with the Universum Box-Promotion, will be the first unification clash between reigning heavyweight champions for the last 8 years.

This October, Seminole Warriors Boxing, Golden Grain Promotions and Sampson Lewkowicz, in association with Universum Box Promotions, will promote the first heavyweight title unification bout in close to eight years when WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov faces off against his WBA counterpart, Ruslan Chagaev, in Moscow, Russia. The historic event presented by Nafta Moskva is not only the first unification bout between two European-born fighters and the first heavyweight unification bout held outside the United States, but it is the first heavyweight unification bout since 1999, when Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield engaged in two bouts with each fighter’s titles up for grabs. On Thursday, the two champions will meet the press for the official announcement of this historic fight.at the President Hotel in Moscow.

Sultan Ibragimov (21-0-1, 17 KOs) dethroned WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs (48-5-1, 42 KOs) via a tactical twelve round unanimous decision at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Ibragimov initated most of the action early as the much larger Briggs waited to counter. Briggs barely missed with some bombs in the fourth as Ibragimov seemed more willing to engage. Ibragimov landed a number of good straight lefts as he continued to build his lead. Briggs remained economical with his offense. Ibragimov had his best round in the ninth, hurting Briggs and driving him into the ropes. Briggs was unable to mount a comeback in the late rounds and Ibragimov came away with a 119-109, 117-111, 115-113.

WBO World Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs has spent the past 15 days at the world-famous Hilton Head Health Institute in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, working out with the institute’s personal trainers and running on the island’s beautiful beaches. Briggs has been healing from aspirated pneumonia and, in addition to using the traditional course of nebulizers and inhalers, has been spending hours in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Fresh off a 46 second annihilation of Javier Mora on Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden, number one WBO Heavyweight contender Sultan Ibragimov is looking forward to getting his shot at champion Shannon Briggs on June 2, in his home country of Russia.

#1 WBO heavyweight contender Sultan Ibragimov, disappointed at seeing his long-awaited title shot against Shannon Briggs postponed due to the champion's illness, minced no words when it came to the topic of the Brooklyn-born Briggs and the rest of the heavyweight division.