Janibek Hospitalized, Unified Middleweight Defense Off

Unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly’s highly anticipated title defense against Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) has been canceled after Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) was briefly hospitalized Thursday night. Sources tell Brunch Boxing that Alimkhanuly suffered the effects of a “bad weight cut” and would not go forward with the fight. It is unclear how much weight Alimkhanuly was attempting to lose at the last minute. He was briefly hospitalized and has since been released. He’s been described as doing fine now.

The co-feature bout between rising star Raymond Muratalla and former champion Tevin Farmer will now serve as the main event of tomorrow’s Top Rank card emanating from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There is no word yet on whether the middleweight title bout will be rescheduled. Alimkhanuly has expressed a desire to further unify the division against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames. Additionally, Erislandy Lara holds the WBA strap, adding another potential unification bout to the mix.

The change of Saturday’s main event, however, offers an exciting matchup between Muratalla and Farmer, which promises to deliver high-quality action for the viewers.

Stay tuned for further updates on the rescheduling of Alimkhanuly’s title defense and any developments in his quest to unify the middleweight division.