Janibek Alimkhanuly was forced to withdraw from Saturday's IBF/WBO middleweight title defense against Andrew Mikhailovich in Las Vegas, as announced by promoter Top Rank on Friday. Alimkhanuly was admitted to Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center on Thursday evening after fainting while cutting the final pounds, according to his manager Egis Klimas.
Klimas stated that Alimkhanuly was put on an IV and although scans revealed no kidney damage, he was severely dehydrated and unfit to compete. As a result, the Raymond Muratalla-Tevin Farmer 10-round lightweight fight will now headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+.
Muratalla, ranked No. 8 by ESPN in the lightweight division, will face former champion Tevin Farmer. Alimkhanuly, ESPN's top-ranked middleweight with a record of 15-0 and 10 knockouts, has successfully defended his title three times. The 31-year-old Kazakh was heavily favored to defeat Mikhailovich, a 26-year-old from New Zealand with a record of 21-0 and 13 knockouts, who was aiming for his first title shot.
