Wladimir Klitschko Becomes Unified Champion

Wladimir Klitschko was proclaimed the first unified heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis on Saturday night as he easily outpointed Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden.

IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Klitschko notched up his 50th professional victory (50-3, 44KOs) by unanimous decision (119-110, 117-111,118-110) as he handed a first defeat to his WBO counterpart in 24 pro fights in what was the first unification contest the division has seen since 1999, when Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in the same arena.

While history was made, it was otherwise a night to forget as Ukrainian Klitschko and Russia's Ibragimov, who now slips to 22-1-1 served up a dreary contest punctuated only sporadically by significant moments of action.

With a four-and-a-half-inch height advantage, the 6ft 6inch 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 fans in the 14,011 crowd 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, 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 type soon after and the jeers increased.

Klitschko again hurt his man with a right hook to the head midway through the eighth and this time followed up by landing another.

Ibragimov 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 was not improved as the ninth got underway. Klitschko burst into life once more, sending the WBO champion backpedalling into a neutral corner with a left jab straight right, left jab-right hook combination 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 and 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 final three minutes only brought a return of the booing.