Janibek Alimkhanuly remains the IBF and WBO middleweight champion of the world. Alimkhanuly known as “Qazaq Style” referencing his home country of Kazakhstan is the unified champion at middleweight. He is known for his size, speed, power, punch accuracy, and adaptability. Alimkhanuly is a southpaw with a record of 16-0 with 11 of those wins coming by way of knockout Andrei Mikhailovich being his latest victim.
Alimkhanuly was scheduled to fight Mikhailovich earlier this year July 13th however Alimkhanuly had to pull out last minute. This was due to a weight cutting issue with Alimkhanuly allegedly passing out during the weight cut. This may be the result of Alimkhanuly’s size as he is quite big for the weight class. There were fans wondering if Alimkhanuly would end up moving up a weight class but this would not be the case. A few months later it was announced that the fight would be rescheduled for October 4th. This time the fight did end going ahead with Janibek Alimkhanuly successfully making weight.
Janibek Alimkhanuly Dominantly Defends IBF Middleweight Title
The fight itself was quite a one sided affair where Janibek Alimkhanuly showed that there were levels. At the opening bell Mikhailovich’s stratergy became very apparent aiming to pressure and smother the superior technician. A bold strategy but an unsuccessful one. In the final third of round one Alimkhanuly landed a nice left hand hand stunning Mikhailovich. He would also continuously pump out the jab. Mikhailovich had some success in the clinch with some short hooks.
Round 2 came about and arguably where the fight could have been stopped. Mikhailovich came out swinging and seeking to clinch but was unable to land anything effective. Early he was caught with a right hook while reaching for a clinch. Alimkhanuly towards the end of the round again was having success with the jab and left straights and his signature left uppercut. in the final minute Mikhailovich was put on skates with a powerful left hand and Alimkhanuly proceeded to tee off. And again staggered him badly with another left. Eventually Alimkhanully put him down with a left hand right at the end of the round. Mikailovich did manage to get back to feet but was staggering and the referee made a questionable choice to let him continue and see the round out.
Round 3 Mikhailovich continued to be target practice at range for Alimkhanuly who again stunned him with a left straight. Alimkhanuly also started having success on the inside between clinches with short hooks and uppercuts. Mikhailovich was having some success up close however his punches weren’t having the same impact as his opponents.
Inside Fighting
As the fight continued the fight became more up close and personal. With a reddening face Mikhailovich continued to march forward looking to get up close and clinch. And Alimkhanuly obliged this preferring to keep distance and separation but still engaging his foe up close.
Round 4 Alimkhanuly continued to have success landing a clean 1-2 and a nice uppercut early in the round. Alimkhanuly also continued to oblige Mikhailovich’s inside fighting typically landing the better shots up close. Towards the end of the round Mikhailovich was able to get some good work done but Alimkhanuly was able to come back.
Round 5 Alimkhanuly’s punch selection and accuracy continued to be on point. The majority of this round Mikhailovich spent doggedly pursuing the clinch barely giving Alimkhanuly any space or himself space to throw shots for that matter. Towards the end of the round Alimkhanuly was able to find some separation and get off some jabs and a few straight lefts.
Round 6 Mikhailovich’s pressure and pursuit of the clinch continued. Alikhanuly was continually able to find success with his uppercut up close but unable to get full power on it. This round saw Mikhailovich’s nose start to bleed presumably a result of one of the many shots he had taken. Alimkhanuly also had quite a few flurries in the round getting some quick combinations of hooks and uppercuts. The round ended with a nice right hook from Alimkhanuly.
The Ending
As the fight grew on it was clear Mikhailovich was not on Janibek Alimkhanuly’s level. And it was also clear Alimkhanuly if given the space could get the finish at any minute.
Round 7 Alimkhanuly was able to keep distance early and crack Mikhailovich with a nice left hand again stunning him. But Mikhailovich continued to press forward. Alimkhanuly also continued to land flurries up close. The uppercut in particular were causing the most issues for Mikhailovich. When he was able to gain distance with 40 seconds left Alimkhanuly landed a good left hand causing Mikhailovich to stumble. But Mikhailovich would survive.
Round 8 the inside fighting would keep going. After one flurry Alimkhanuly was able to land 2 jabs and a left straight which sent Mikhailovich’s head snapping back. But Mikhailovich was able to return fire with a good right hand. However, Alimkhanuly ate the shot no problem. Mikhailovich would be able to land more on a tiring Alimkhanuly. Unfortunately for him Alimkhanuly was able to take the shots and land his own cleaner shots. And with 20 seconds left Alimkhanuly would land a right hook stumbling Mikhailovich. Mikhailovich would survive with a clinch but at the end of the round he te a left hand again stumbling him.
The 9th round would be the final of this contest. Alimkhanuly continuously was able to land uppercuts on a tired and damaged Mikhailovich who continuously lurched forward. As Alimkhanuly continuted to land his flurries Mikhailovich also began bleeding from his mouth. The finishing sequence came in the last 30 seconds where Alimkhanuly landed a couple of great left straights and Mikhailovich would follow him. As a result Mikhailovich walked onto thunderous left uppercuts causing him to fall back into the ropes. This led to the referee stepping in giving Janibek Alimkhanuly a stoppage 2 minutes and 45 seconds into round 9.
The Future For Janibek Alimkhanuly
With this win Alimkhanuly takes care of his mandatory challenger for his IBF championship. However, interestingly Alimkhanuly’s WBO belt wasn’t on the line for this fight so he only defended the IBF. This is due to some nonsensical reason however he is still the only unified champion at middleweight. In the post fight interview he did suggest what his future would be.
Alimkhanuly called out the 2 other champions at middleweight Carlos Adames and Erislandy Lara. Adames is the WBC champion and Lara is the WBA champion. Although neither of these 2 are a walk in the park Alimkhanuly has a good chance at beating both of them. So unifications and an undisputed fight could be on the horizon for Janibek Alimkhanuly. And with the Saudi’s involvement in boxing the chances of that happening are higher than ever.
However, there is still the question about Alimkhanuly’s weight. Yes he did make weight for this fight but in July he had to pull up due to issues with the weight cut. What’s to say that doesn’t happen again. The cut could also start to impact his future performances. For now Alimkhanuly still appears committed to 160lbs however 168lbs could be on the horizon for the Kazakh.
A fight against rising star Hamzah Sheeraz could also be a possibility. Sheeraz has been on a rapid rise and recently stopped Tyler Denny in 2 rounds most recently. Sheeraz is ranked number 1 in the WBO and so Alimkhanuly may have to face him to retain his WBO title.
Regardless of who he fights next Janibek Alimkhanuly is a problem for anyone he faces.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
