Alimkhanuly headed to Australia to defend vs. Mikhailovich
Middleweight title bout on again after July cancellation
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Janibek Alimkhanuly will defend the IBF middleweight title against mandatory challenger Andrei Mikhailovich on Oct. 4 at The Star in Sydney, Australia, No Limit Boxing announced on Wednesday.
The fight will stream on ESPN+ in the early morning in United States and air in the evening on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports in Australia.
While Alimkhanuly is the unified IBF/WBO titleholder, the WBO 160-pound belt will not be at stake because the organization declined to sanction the fight. If Mikhailovich wins, the WBO belt will become vacant. If Alimkhanuly wins he will remain the unified titleholder.
“No Limit Boxing is thrilled to bring this top-tier showdown between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Andrei Mikhailovich to this side of the globe,” No Limit Boxing CEO George Rose said. “It’s a mouthwatering matchup where Janibek’s powerful and dominant reign as the No. 1 middleweight in the world meets Andrei’s undefeated drive and determination. It’s well-documented that nobody was wanting to take on the champion, but Andrei isn’t your everyday fighter. This is set to be a cracker of a fight.”
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Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs), 31, a 2016 Olympian from Kazakhstan, who fights out of Oxnard, California, was originally set to make his fourth defense against Mikhailovich on July 13 (with the WBO title also at stake) in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. However, two nights before the fight Alimkhanuly fainted as a result of dehydration trying to make weight. He was hospitalized and the fight was canceled the next day.
Alimkhanuly vowed he would remain at middleweight and the fight was ordered once again by the IBF.
The sides failed to make a deal for the rescheduled bout and it was put up for a purse bid on Sept. 3. No Limit Boxing, Mikhailovich’s promoter, won with an offer of $351,000 to edge Alimkhanuly promoter Top Rank’s bid of $350,000 by a mere $1,000 in about as close of a purse bid as has been seen. Under the purse bid, Alimkhanuly is entitled to $263,250 (75 percent of the winning bid although Top Rank will get its cut out of that money) and Mikhailovich gets $87,750 (25 percent).
“In the Olympic Games in Sydney, two Kazakh boxers won gold,” Alimkhanuly said. “Bekzat Sattarhanov and Yermakhan Ibraimov inspired many Kazakhs. I grew up with a dream to glorify my country like them. I am very happy that I will box in Sydney. I want to show the world my flag in Sydney once again, as our Olympic champions did in 2000. The fight with Andrei is very important to me because he is an official contender for my title.
“He is like a cloud for me now. I must quickly get rid of the cloud to see the sun. Everyone knows and understands that he is easy work for me. I will knock him out very quickly.”
By winning the purse bid, No Limit gained control of the bout and was able to place the fight in Australia.
Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs), 26, a Russia native who has lived most of his life in New Zealand, traveled some 7,000 miles for the fight in July only to see it get canceled. Top Rank said it would pay him at least a portion of his purse for his trouble and now he will be on friendly turf for the rescheduled bout controlled by his promoter.
“I live in the present, but I certainly haven’t forgotten the past,” Mikhailovich said. “I respect him as the champion, but I know that he doesn’t respect me. It’s why I look forward to taking absolutely everything from him.
“I will be writing my name into the history books alongside Joseph Parker and Maselino Masoe as a world champion (from New Zealand). This is my destiny, it’s my everything. I will stop at nothing to make sure the world remembers the name Andrei Mikhailovich.”
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Once purported “Bogeyman” Janibek so stale. Just move up to 168. Plenty of good work up there. Guys like this that hang on to a single weight class for dear life, only make me appreciate Inoue & Canelo even more.
Andrei is in with a big chance to cause the upset will be a great fight