The home crowd at The Star in Sydney, Australia, was not enough for challenger Andrei Mikhailovich to pull off the upset: IBF Middleweight World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly dominated the fight, ending it by technical knockout in the ninth round. Mikhailovich displayed great courage, but as many had predicted beforehand, he proved technically inadequate to trouble the reigning champion.
The days leading up to the fight were filled with rumors that Alimkhanuly was underestimating his opponent, to the point of arriving in Australia only on Wednesday, just two days before the fight. Some speculated about a potential repeat of Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr., a bout in which the Australian Kambosos upset all odds by capitalizing on his opponent’s imperfect athletic condition.
Adding to the doubts surrounding Alimkhanuly’s mental and physical state was the issue of weight: the Kazakh fighter had postponed this title defense after fainting during his July attempt to shed the last few grams needed to make the 160-pound middleweight limit. Many expected him to move up to the super middleweight division.
All these uncertainties proved unfounded in the end, as the fight at The Star in Sydney was one-sided. Mikhailovich was competitive for just one round, landing a few noteworthy punches near the end of the opening frame before he began to unravel.
In the second round, Alimkhanuly stunned him with a couple of sharp one-two combinations, then further unbalanced him with a series of brutal uppercuts to the chin. The challenger, now in increasingly precarious shape, was floored by a left hook just before the bell, leaving spectators with the impression that the fight was nearing its conclusion.
In truth, Mikhailovich managed to extend the bout considerably by adopting a pure survival strategy from the third round onward. The Australian constantly lunged forward to close the distance and prevent Alimkhanuly from launching his punches, frequently resorting to clinching.
The champion never seemed in a hurry to finish the fight, content with landing just enough punches to win each round whenever he could free himself from the grappling holds. The Kazakh appeared less mobile on his feet than usual, but it did not cost him, as Mikhailovich’s rare punches lacked power and were mostly harmless.
The fight thus dragged on wearily until the ninth round, with rounds passing in a repetitive fashion and few noteworthy moments, apart from a right hook from Alimkhanuly that seemed to cause damage in the final stages of the eighth round.
The early conclusion of a fight that had nothing left to offer finally came in the ninth round when a precise left hand from the champion caused Mikhailovich’s legs to buckle violently, prompting referee Katsuhiko Nakamura to stop the fight by technical knockout.
A clear and undisputed victory for Alimkhanuly, who reaffirmed his status as the current number one in the middleweight division. Fans are now hoping that negotiations will begin between the Kazakh fighter and the towering English knockout artist Hamzah Sheeraz, a top-tier showdown that boxing enthusiasts would eagerly anticipate.