Janibek Alimkhanuly, ESPN`s top-rated middleweight boxer, will return to his native Kazakhstan to defend his IBF and WBO middleweight titles this Saturday. Alimkhanuly, hailing from Almaty, Kazakhstan, is set to face Anauel Ngamissengue in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Alimkhanuly (16-0, with 11 knockouts) will be fighting in Kazakhstan for the first time since his initial two professional bouts. The 32-year-old champion is preparing for his fifth title defense against Ngamissengue, who is ranked seventh by ESPN in the middleweight division.
A southpaw fighter, Alimkhanuly successfully defended his IBF middleweight title in his previous fight in October, securing a ninth-round stoppage victory over Andrei Mikhailovich. His next challenge is against the 29-year-old Ngamissengue (14-0, with 9 knockouts), who will be competing for his first world title and participating in his first 12-round scheduled fight.
Ngamissengue will face a significant step up in competition against Alimkhanuly. Notably, six of Ngamissengue`s 14 previous opponents had a losing record.
The fight card will also feature:
Sultan Zaurbek (19-0, 13 KOs) from Kazakhstan will compete against Azinga Fuzile (18-2, 12 KOs) in a junior lightweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds.
In the heavyweight division, Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0, 14 KOs) will clash with Ihor Shevadzutskyi (12-2, 10 KOs) in a 10-round match.
Batyrzhan Jukembayev (23-1, 17 KOs) is set to face Kane Gardner (17-4, 7 KOs) in a super lightweight contest, also scheduled for 10 rounds.
Makhmud Sabyrkhan will make his professional debut in a super bantamweight fight against Nicolas Tordecilla (2-0, 2 KOs).