Janibek Alimkhanuly not only made it to the scale this time, but made weight comfortably.
The unified 160-pound titlist was 159 ½ pounds, while IBF mandatory challenger Andrei Mikhailovich was 159.9 pounds. Their match headlines an ESPN+ show this Friday at The Star in Sydney, Australia.
Both fighters must still comply with the IBF’s second-day rehydration check, where they must weigh no more than 170 pounds. IBF rules require participants in the title fight and knockout to weigh no more than 10 pounds over the contracted limit at the fight day weigh-in.
Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) holds the IBF WBO titles. However, New Zealand’s Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) declined to challenge for the WBO title and is only eligible to win the IBF belt.
Alimkhanuly will retain both titles if he wins. With a loss, Mikhailovich will take home the IBF title, while the WBO belt will be vacant.
Alimkhanuly-Mikhailovich was previously scheduled to take place on July 13 in Las Vegas. The fight was canceled before the pre-fight weigh-in when Alimkhanuly was hospitalized due to dehydration.
Consequently, Mikhailovich was left without a fight. Alimkhanuly was subsequently summoned by the WBO – whose title he also holds – to provide medical proof of what led to his dehydration and whether he was fit to resume his reign.
Meanwhile, the IBF intervened and put the fight back on the table. The case provided an epic moment for the #PurseBidHeads faction of the sport. No Limit Boxing, Mikhailovich’s promoter, outbid Top Rank by just $1,000 ($351,000 to $350,000) to win the rights to the September 3 fight.
Alimkhanuly is attempting his fourth overall title defense and first of the IBF belt. He knocked out undefeated Vincent Gualtieri in the sixth round of their IBF/WBO unification bout last October 14 in Rosenberg, Texas.
Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) enters his first career title fight. The timing means he’s fighting for one belt instead of two, although it’s been theorized that the tactic was intentional this time around. Unified titles are spared weight checks on the same day under IBF rules, but only when more than one title is on the line. That is not the case here, leaving Alimkhanuly and Mikhailovich bound by IBF rules to the letter of the law.
