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11/11/2006
One man sure to be following tonight's heavyweight title fight very closely is Ohio's Ray Austin. When Wladimir Klitschko and Calvin Brock contest the IBF version of the heavyweight championship tonight, Austin should be taking notes, because the IBF has approved him as the next mandatory challenger. Austin recently battled Sultan Ibragimov to a draw, and the IBF gave the Austin and Ibragimov camps ten days to discuss a rematch. Now, Ibragimov looks to be next up for a WBO title shot against Shannon Briggs, so the ten days came and went with no deal. As a result, Austin has ascended to the mandatory position. If tonight's winner opts to unify the title against another belt holder instead of facing Austin, it could be Ray Austin-Chris Byrd for a vacant IBF title in 2007. -Scott Shaffer
