Janibek Alimkhanuly stays busy vs. Denzel Bently while lobbying for meaningful middleweight bouts

Ring-rated middleweight Janibek Alimkhanuly demolished Danny Dignum in two brutal rounds for the vacant WBO interim title Could.

The heavy-handed southpaw needed to wait till August earlier than the WBO upgraded him to full champion within the wake of Demetrius Andrade deciding to struggle at tremendous middleweight, though the American has but to struggle within the new weight class resulting from a shoulder damage.

Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8 KOs), a 29-year-old native of Kazakhstan who lives and trains in Southern California, will face once-beaten Denzel Bentley in his first title protection on the Palms On line casino Resort, Las Vegas on Saturday.

In response to Alimkhanuly, the explanation Bentley was chosen was easy.

Alimkhanuly destroyed the overmatched Dignum. Picture by Mikey Williams/Prime Rank Inc by way of Getty Pictures

“He’s the one boxer who agreed to struggle me and be knocked out,” Alimkhanuly advised The Ring. “I’m hungry. I’m at my peak. He shall be knocked out and that knockout would be the knockout of the yr, inshallah, he brings it.”

He refutes any suggestion that he’s the subsequent huge factor to return out of Kazakhstan.

“I’m not subsequent! I’m already a champion,” he mentioned. “Everybody avoids the struggle; the champions don’t wish to struggle me. I knocked out two former champions. I’m a middleweight nightmare and I’ve lots of followers.”

Thus far, Alimkhanuly, The Ring’s No. 5-rated middleweight, has been unable to entice the massive names at middleweight together with Andrade (No. 3) and Jaime Munguia (No. 4) into a gathering and has a message for the division.

“Guys! I don’t wish to say ‘Champions’ anymore! Champions should struggle champions,” he mentioned. “Guys, let’s struggle.”

Alimkhanuly’s supervisor, Egis Klimas, who lists Ring/unified heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk and three-division titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko amongst his shoppers, acknowledges the difficultly that he and Prime Rank have been met with.

“No ranked fighters or champions wish to take a danger with this younger, aggressive and skillful boxer,” mentioned Klimas. “Everybody understood to struggle Janibek is huge danger to lose.

“However hopefully now he’s champion will probably be simpler to search out him challengers or to get different champions – which I doubt it’ll occur – to unify titles. Look what occurred with Lomachenko, he needed to go up two weight lessons (from featherweight to light-weight) to get unification fights.”

Bentley (17-1-1, 14 KOs) turned skilled in 2017. The Londoner received his first 13 outings earlier than having to accept a draw in opposition to Mark Heffron (D 10). In a direct rematch, Bentley impressively stopped Heffron (RTD 4) to say the vacant British title. Nevertheless, in his subsequent struggle he misplaced his unbeaten document to Commonwealth titlist Felix Money (TKO 3). The 27-year-old has bounced again nicely to regain his previous British title by narrowly edging previous Linus Udofia (SD 12). He has since made one profitable protection.

Alimkhanuly-Bentley, and undercard motion will stream stay on ESPN+ beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT.

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