As fight week closed in, Janibek Alimkhanuly was all set to defend his IBF and WBO middleweight titles against Andrei Mikhailovich tonight in the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.
Fighting an opponent few will have heard of might not do much for Janibek’s legacy, but the man nicknamed ‘Qazak Style’ was at least tidying up contenders and staying busy. Until he wasn’t.
News broke yesterday that extreme dehydration had left the champion hospitalized and in no position to carry on with the fight.
“Janibek was cutting the final pounds last night when he fainted,” stated manager Egis Klimas.
Expected to enter as a unified 160-pound champion and consensus number one, Janibek’s entire status at the weight is now under a different scrutiny.
As the old adage goes, ‘you can only beat what’s put in front of you’, and until the people put in front of him significantly improve, sweeping up challengers and staying active has proven a keen strategy for the 31-year-old based in Oxnard.
One potential future in-house opponent, Troy Isley, is now being spoken about as a credible challenge.
13-0 as a pro and always arriving in buff shape; in only his ninth bout, Isley shut down Roy Barringer, who gave contender Ian Green a few issues over 10 rounds last month.
Other future options included WBC champion Carlos Adames or even Hamzah Sheeraz (below), who fights Tyler Denny on September 21 in Wembley.
Hamzah Sheeraz celebrates stopping Liam Williams (Getty Images)
Refusing to be overlooked, tonight’s proposed opponent, Andrei Mikhailovich, will now also have to recalibrate following the crushing news of the postponement. Relishing the underdog tag he had arrived in America supremely confident.
“At the end of the day, Janibek is just another guy, another test on my way to greatness. Others will say this is a big deal, but to me, this is fate. I was born for this. Since day one, I have planned to dominate, take over, and control my destiny,” said Mikhailovich, who believed all along that his warrior’s mindset would be the difference.
Now, like the rest of us, he will have to wait on a fighter who may have to exit 160 altogether.
Alimkhanuly has a habit of sweeping up opponents in a similar fashion to the Kazakh king, who paved a middleweight path for him in the first place. Gennady Golovkin’s era is long gone, but his absence is still felt.
The crushing KOs, broken English interviews and thudding intimidatory power all added to the GGG enjoyment. He is missed, but life moves on, and the middleweights are in the process of a reshuffle.
A fit and firing Janibek Alimkhanuly is currently leading that movement. After a process of mental reflection and physical recovery, we will see where the next stage of his journey actually leads.