Alimkhanuly–Mikhailovich Unification Fight Announced
Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly entered the fall of 2024 as the unified WBO and IBF middleweight champion. Andrei Mikhailovich, then 21-0, was booked as his challenger for an October 4 title fight in Sydney.
The title picture
Alimkhanuly had captured the WBO belt and added the IBF title by stopping Vincenzo Gualtieri in 2023. Mikhailovich had built an unbeaten record across regional and international bouts, but had not yet faced a reigning world champion.
Fight result
Alimkhanuly defended his IBF championship with a ninth-round stoppage. Mikhailovich’s first professional loss came after he absorbed sustained pressure from the champion. Sky Sports’ report covers the result, while BoxingScene’s event page records the bout.
What the result means
The win extended Alimkhanuly’s unbeaten record and preserved his unified status. It did not make him undisputed: other sanctioning-body titles remained outside his control. A future unification fight required a separate agreement.
The contest had originally been scheduled for July 13 in Las Vegas before being postponed. Its eventual staging in Sydney gave Mikhailovich an opportunity to challenge an established champion much closer to his New Zealand base, while bringing Alimkhanuly back into action after a lengthy absence from the ring.
A heavy second-round knockdown established the pattern of the fight. Alimkhanuly landed a left hand and followed with a combination that sent Mikhailovich to the canvas shortly before the bell. The challenger recovered sufficiently to continue and attempted to apply forward pressure through the middle rounds.
That persistence extended the contest, but it did not overturn the champion’s advantage in accuracy and power. Alimkhanuly regained command with combinations and forced the ninth-round intervention. The result left him 16–0 with eleven stoppages, while Mikhailovich moved to 21–1. For the challenger, completing several rounds after the early knockdown showed determination, even though the championship remained beyond his reach on the night.
Sources
Tags: Boxing
