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Janibek Alimkhanuly knocked out Danny Dignum in the second round this weekend with a stunning uppercut to claim the WBO Interim Middleweight Title.
Demetrius Andrade currently holds the WBO Middleweight Title. Alimkhanuly was the mandatory challenger for Andrade's belt. However, the American decided to move up to 168lbs and compete in the super middleweight division rather than defend his title. If he commits to the move, he will vacate the title. When he does, Alimkhanuly will claim it.
Alimkhanuly, of Kazakhstan, has a record of 12-0 with 8 knockouts. The highest ranked boxer at middleweight right now is Gennadiy Golovkin, a fellow Kazakh fighter. If Alimkhanuly becomes the official WBO Champion, he may defend the belt against a fighter such as Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Chris Eubank Jr., or Jaime Munguia.
Check out the highlights of Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Danny Dignum here:
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Danny Dignum
Janibek Alimkhanuly and Danny Dignum met on May 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was for the vacant WBO Interim Middleweight Title. Dignum was coming off a TKO win over Grant Dennis in February of this year. Alimkhanuly most recently fought in November 2021.
Dignum was not expected to be much of a challenge for Alimkhanuly. However, the fight was incredibly one-sided. The Kazakh fighter dismantled the British boxer with clinical precision. Flurries of straight punches broke through Dignum's guard and kept him backstepping throughout the first two rounds.
Alimkhanuly easily controlled the pace of the fight this weekend. He demonstrated his punching power, his speed, his ring generalship, and his technical footwork. Though the finish was early, it was long in the works. 'Qazaq Style' set up sharp attacks from the opening bell and steadily wore his opponent down before landing the final five-punch knockout combination.
Alimkhanuly made his professional debut in 2016 against Milton Núñez. In 2021, he stopped Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, who has been in the ring with the likes of Curtis Stevens, Ryōta Murata, Fedor Chudinov, Callum Smith, and David Lemieux. He has formerly held WBC and WBO Continental Titles. He is also trained by Buddy McGirt, the famed trainer of Arturo Gatti, Hasim Rahman, and Antonio Tarver.
