Janibek-Mikhailovich IBF Middleweight World Title Set for October 4 at The Star, Sydney

Andrei Mikhailovich, the unbeaten contender from New Zealand, will challenge Kazakhstan’s middleweight champion Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly for his IBF world title. The bout will take place on Friday, October 4 at The Star in Sydney, Australia.

This action-packed event will be broadcast live and exclusively on Main Event and Kayo Sports in Australia and streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+.

It will be the first time since Daniel Geale’s unanimous decision over Anthony Mundine at Sydney’s Entertainment Centre in 2013 that the IBF middleweight world title has taken place in Australia.

Promoted by No Limit Boxing, tickets for this must-see event will go on sale shortly via Ticketek.com.au.

The bout was previously due to headline a July 13 show at Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was cancelled prior to the pre-fight weigh-in when Alimkhanuly was hospitalised due to dehydration with No Limit Boxing winning the subsequent IBF purse bid and electing to stage the fight in Australia.

Janibek Alimkhanuly, a 2016 Olympian from Kazakhstan, rapidly ascended the middleweight division with key wins over Rob Brant and Hassan N'Dam. He secured the WBO Interim title in May 2022 by knocking out Danny Dignum and was elevated to full champion after Demetrius Andrade vacated the belt. In October 2023, he unified the middleweight titles with a victory over IBF champion Vincenzo Gualtieri, establishing himself as the dominant force in the middleweight division.

Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and raised in New Zealand, began boxing at 15 and turned professional in April 2018. He won his first regional title with a third-round TKO against Ernesto España in June 2022 and followed up with a decision win over Francis Waitai the next month. In April 2023, he delivered his most notable performance by recovering from an early knockdown to stop the previously unbeaten Edisson Saltarin in five rounds. He continued his impressive run with a first-round TKO victory over Les Sherrington a year later.

No Limit Boxing CEO George Rose: “No Limit Boxing is thrilled to bring this top-tier showdown between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Andrei Mikhailovich to this side of the globe. It’s a mouthwatering match up where Janibek’s powerful and dominant reign as the number one 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 and a genuine highlight for boxing enthusiasts around the world.”

Janibek Alimkhanuly: “In the Olympic Games in Sydney, two Kazakh boxers won gold,” Alimkhanuly said. Bekzat Sattarhanov and Yermakhan Ibragimov 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!”

Andrei Mikhailovich: “I live in the present, but I certainly haven’t forgotten the past. 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. This is my destiny, it’s my everything. I will stop at nothing to make sure the world remembers the name Andrei Mikhailovich.”