Undefeated middleweight king Janibek Alimkhanuly retained his IBF title with a brutal and one-sided ninth-round TKO over the gutsy and game Andrei Mikhailovich at The Star in Sydney, Australia, on Friday. The official time was 2:45.
Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs) dropped the challenger in round two after following a huge left hand with multi-punch combinations. It was amazing that Mikhailovich survived into the ninth, but he paid the price and was taken out by another savage attack.
“Keep in mind, I haven’t been fighting for a year, so it was a good experience for me to come back and shake the rust,” said Janibek via manager Egis Klimas, who translated during the post-fight interview. “[Mikhailovich] is a good boxer and he has a very good team.”
WATCH: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovic, exclusively on ESPN+
The southpaw left hand from Janibek was effective in the opening round and the jab crashed home, too. Mikhailovich didn’t get going until the final minute and he found a good right hand just before the bell.
Bolstered by his success, Mikhailovich was more aggressive in the second, but a huge Janibek left hand landed flush and robbed him of his equilibrium. The punishment inflicted from that point on was horrendous as the champion thumped home combinations at will and scored a delayed reaction knockdown.
JANIBEK IS PLAYING WITH HIS FOOD 😏
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From there, Janibek was playing with his food. While he took the odd single shot, the champion released blistering attacks at mid-range and smiled at the New Zealander in derision. Mikhailovich did well to survive and displayed plenty of bravery, but his punches were crude and his balance never recovered. Janibek had a field day up close and inflicted a terrific beating.
By round seven, the crazy brave Mikhailovich was walking into a thrashing machine. Two huge lefts drove the challenger into the corner before Janibek beat a tattoo on the face of the New Zealander with multiple three-punch combos. By this point, the action was becoming difficult to watch.
The finish, as Mikhailovich tumbled backwards into the ropes under fire and referee Katsuhiko Nakamura waved off the action without a count, was merciful.
According to The Ring, Janibek is the world's No. 1 middleweight and this latest performance supports that position. At this moment, the Kazakhstan-born lefty possesses both the IBF and WBO titles, but he could be stripped of the latter because of a political dispute that led to that championship not being at stake. Titles to one side, Janibek is the man to beat in this weight class.
“I have two titles and two titles are missing,” said Janibek, who intends to unify the division regardless. “Any of them, [Erislandy] Lara (WBA champion) or [Carlos] Adames (WBC champion), send me the paper and I’ll sign it anytime.”
Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KOs) is only 26 years old, so he has plenty of time to regroup and come again. The Russian-born New Zealander talked a good game coming into this fight, but Janibek is a truth machine and provided a hard dose of reality when it mattered most. The challenger hadn’t competed against a true world-level middleweight and it showed.
This was a complete pro versus an incomplete pro.
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovich fight card
- Janibek Alimkhanuly (c) def. Andrei Mikhailovich via TKO 9 (2:45) for the IBF middleweight title
- Mea Motu def. Shannon O'Connell via TKO 4 (1:06); Featherweights
- Charlie Kazzi def. Lui Magaiva via TKO 7 (1:18); Lightweights
