Written by: Sean Crose
It's fair to say that the middleweight division isn't what it used to be, at least not in the public eye. Some of the biggest names in boxing history have been in the middleweight ranks. Bob Fitzsimons, Harry Greb, Tony Zale, Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, and Gennady Golovkin brought fame and glory to the middleweight division. Although the name Zhanibek Alimkhanuly does not have the weight that is taken by the above names, it cannot be denied that this man has achieved success in the middleweight category. At 15-0, the 31-year-old Kazakh fighter currently holds the WBO and IBF bantamweight titles.
Alimkhanuly will be putting those belts, as well as his undefeated record, on the line Saturday night in Las Vegas when he blanks 21-0 Andrei Mikhailovich in a scheduled 12-round bout. Of course, much of the attention this weekend is focused on Jaron “Boots” Ennis' defense of his welterweight title in Philadelphia, but that doesn't mean Alimkhanuly and Mikhailovich don't have a chance to shine in front of the ESPN+ cameras. This is the middleweight division after all, a place waiting for its next big name to be heard. Nothing is small.
However, achieving separate dominance is not an easy task. Still, even though Alimkhanuly hasn't met the big names, he's definitely impressed. Using a low southpaw jab and good footwork, the man has a left that can do a lot of damage. Alimkhanuly also does a good job of getting punches out with combinations. He stopped ten out of fifteen opponents in the distance, after all. In order to win this weekend, Mikhaiovich will have to keep the defensive line from getting too far. Well, there it is – because Alimkhanuly is notorious for finding a way to toughen up his opponents, especially when it comes to his bad habit.
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