It wasn’t that long ago that IBF and WBO titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly was considered the future of the middleweight division.

The 31-year-old Kazakh southerner was widely seen as the successor to his compatriot Gennady Golovkin, the last great 160-pounder who retired two years ago. However, the lack of top-class competition in the league has left Alimkhanuly with little choice but to take on all comers in anticipation of the competition that will cement his name in the public consciousness.

Next in line for Alimkhanuly is Andrei Mikhailovich, a name little known outside his native Recent Zealand and neighboring Australia. That doesn’t mean the enigmatic 26-year-old can’t fight. Clearly it can. And he firmly believes that it is his time to shine.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 13 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, but was canceled at the eleventh hour after Alimkhanuly was hospitalized with dehydration following an acute weight cut.

To complicate matters for Alimkhanuly, the rescheduled fight will now take place at The Star in Sydney, Australia on October 4, after Mikhailovich’s promoter No Limit won the bid with a bid of $351,000. Alimkhanuly’s promoter, Top Rank, offered $350,000.

This prompted Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KO) to post on social media with an X: “I have no words. What is @toprank @BobArum @CarlMoretti?”

Alimkhanuly, rated No. 1 by The Ring and weighing 160 pounds, has since put on a calmer demeanor, insisting he has no problem traveling to Sydney to box.

“At the Sydney Olympics, two Kazakh boxers won gold. Bekzat Sattarkhanov and Yermakhan Ibraimov inspired many Kazakhs. I grew up with a dream to glorify my country like them,” Alimkhanuly said in a recent press release.

“I am very ecstatic that I will be boxing in Sydney. I want to show my flag to the world once again in Sydney, just like our Olympic champions did in 2000. The fight with Andrei is very crucial to me. Because he is the official challenger to my title.

“He’s like a cloud to me now. I have to get rid of the clouds quickly to see the sun. Everyone knows and understands that this is an straightforward job for me. I will knock him out very quickly!”

From Mikhailovich’s perspective, everything falls into place. While Alimkhanuly was recovering from his illness, Mikhailovich trained constantly, continuing to sharpen his tools. Mikhailovich is so confident that he predicts victory in the early stages of the match.

“I live in the present, but I certainly haven’t forgotten the past,” said Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KO), who is currently not rated by The Ring. “I respect him as a champion, but I know he doesn’t respect me. That’s why I can’t wait to take absolutely everything from him.

“I will write my name in the history books with Joseph Parker and Maselino Masoe as world champions. This is my destiny, this is my everything. “I will stop at nothing to make the world remember the name of Andrei Mikhailovich.”

In this fight, Alimkhanuly has little to gain but a lot to lose. If he beats Mikhailovich, many people will say it was expected. If he fights, let alone loses, his stock will suffer. In the fickle world of boxing, where perfection is expected 100% of the time, few will consider the fact that he had to travel halfway around the globe or his apparent difficulty in getting his vast frame down to the 160-pound weight limit, let alone his strained relationship with his promoter . The only thing they will remember is his performance.

And herein lies the point. Will Mikhailovich claim Alimchanula at the right moment, or will the fight titleholder once again prove why he is the class of the division?

We’ll find out on Friday night.

Teofimo Lopez Sr. believes that Devin Haney is only suing Ryan Garcia to save his “damaged image.”

Garcia earned a decision over Haney in April in Fresh York, where he also recorded three knockdowns. His majority decision was later declared invalid after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.

Haney filed a lawsuit against Garcia alleging fraud, battery and unjust enrichment – five months after he first filed the lawsuit fined $1.1 million and suspended for one year.

“Devin Haney is just playing chess and trying to put the right pieces in the right places to make the most of what happened to him and his image because Ryan Garcia destroyed his image” – Lopez Snr, father and trainer of the WBO junior weight champion lightweight – and therefore Haney’s rival – Teofimo Jnr, told Fight Hub TV.

The 25-year-old Haney is still scheduled to return to the ring since his fight with the 26-year-old Garcia, and there’s already some question as to whether he’ll be the same fighter when he does.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but Ryan Garcia said you can take a little bit of salt and throw it into an Olympic-size swimming pool and that’s all the stuff you have in your body,” Lopez Snr continued.

“I don’t know how true that is. But if that’s the case, man, you know what I’m saying?”

Ryan Garcia says he would give Terence Crawford the “biggest payday of his life” if he agreed to fight him. The recently 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KO) probably won’t take him up on his offer because he’s obsessed with getting a mega-fight with Canelo Alvarez before he retires, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

(Source: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

If Ryan was stern about wanting to fight Crawford, he would be crazy to turn down the fight. He won’t get a fight with Canelo in a million years and there is no one at 147, 154, 160 or 168 that can command a payday like Ryan.

Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) may have been pulling Crawford’s chin, telling fans he would like to fight him because he is currently unable to fight anyone. Today on social media, Ryan mentioned that he wants to play some exhibition matches in Japan, but that would probably not involve Crawford.

Ryan, 26, says he finds Crawford dull, and that’s true. Crawford is dull to watch because he’s a boxer. The guys he knocked out were either aged, damaged by car accidents, or weren’t that good to begin with.

“As for Bud Crawford, I already called him out. I think he’s just trying to fight Canelo Alvarez. That’s why I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Ryan Garcia continued social mediatalking about wanting to fight Terence Crawford.

“I would like to fight Bud Crawford. I don’t think he’s as good as people say. I say it publicly and I say it live now. If Bud is listening to me, I would love to fight you. I feel like I would literally blow you away.

Crawford would have to be extremely spoiled to turn down such an offer to fight Ryan because he won’t get anything better.

“You’re a good fighter, but I don’t think you’ve ever beaten anyone with your talent, explosiveness, and strength. I think you could have beaten Shawn Porter. He is a great fighter, but quite basic. Errol Spence Jr. had an accident. I don’t think he’s that good,” Garcia said.

“Have you fought someone who knocked you out in one punch? NO. So I think Bud Crawford is overrated. You can have your own opinion on this matter. That’s how I feel. I’m a boxer. I don’t care. I will fight him and I will defeat him [stuffing] out of him. I feel like this is it. Empty word and period,” Garcia said.

The left hook that Ryan Garcia throws would certainly knock out Crawford if it landed on the button. Crawford was badly hurt by former featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa many years ago, and if he was injured then, Ryan could hurt him just as much now. Crawford took a lot of demanding shots from Israil Madrimov in the August 3 fight, which couldn’t have been good for him.

“I would actually fight him. There is a difference. I would actually fight him. You could actually see Ryan Garcia in the ring with Bud Crawford. I can’t speak for the other players. I don’t know if Tank would fight Bud Crawford, but I know he would. I would fight Bud Crawford with pride, I’ll go in there and give it my all,” Garcia said.

A fight between Ryan and Crawford would have a lot of benefits, but only for Kingry’s sake. Crawford will come to the fight. It may not matter whether Turki Alalshikh is paying Crawford, but the PPV numbers wouldn’t be on par with the Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis fight.

“If he doesn’t want it, it’s not my fault. If he doesn’t think it fits, it’s not my fault. He is not a draw. He brings nothing to the table. He’s dull as hell, but I’d probably give him the biggest payday of his life if he took the fight,” Ryan said.

If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is interested in paying Crawford tons of money to fight an unpopular 154-pounder, he will likely do so. He won’t agree to fight anyone not named Canelo unless Turki pays him handsomely.