IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly will make a defense of his title this Friday, October 4th, in a 12-round contest against Andrei Mikhailovich, live on ESPN+ at The Star in Sydney, Australia. The event starts at 5:00 a.m. ET. Janibek’s WBO belt won’t be on the line for the fight.
The two fighters had previously been scheduled to fight in July, but Janibek, 31, became dehydrated trying to get down to 160 for the weigh-in. Now, with the contest rescheduled for Friday, it’ll be interesting to see if Alimkhanuly can make weight.
One other problem that could get in the way is the IBF’s 10-lb rehydration weight check on the morning of the fight. That could be an obstacle for the champion. If Janibek can barely make weight as it is, it’s going to be difficult for him to keep from rehydrating beyond the IBF’s limit.
Assuming the fight happens, we’ll see how well Saint Petersburg, Russia-born Mikhailovich can handle Janibek’s power and experience. The venue should help Mikhailovich because he’s been fighting in Australia off and on.
Janibek will be coming off a year layoff since scoring a sixth-round knockout win over Vincenzo Gualtieri in October 2023. Being out of the ring for a year and dealing with weight issues could make life difficult for Janibek on Saturday night if he’s not sharp. He looked good against Gualtieri, but that was a year ago against a guy with no power.
If Mikhailovich can stand up to Janibek’s power the way that Denzel Bentley did in 2022, we could see an upset. Janibek fades in the later rounds, and we might see that happen on Friday. The power of Janibek is lethal when he’s fresh and at his best, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he scores an early knockout if he can put hands on Mikhailovich.
