Janibek Alimkhanuly celebrates after stopping Danny Dignum in their WBO interim middleweight title fight at Resorts World Las Vegas on May 21, 2022 in Las Vegas. Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
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.