Janibek Alimkhanuly v Denzel Bentley Title Fight Set for November 12!
Top Rank boxing has announced that Janibek Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8 KOs) will make the first defense of the WBO middleweight title against Denzel Bentley (17-1-1, 14 KOs) on November 12 at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The bout will air live on ESPN Plus.
A former 2016 Olympian, Alimkhanuly is considered one of the rising stars of the Top Rank roster. The 29-year-old from Zhilandy, Kazakhstan has been moved quickly. He was fighting ten-rounders in his sixth professional contest and was ranked by the sanctioning bodies at 160 after only nine fights. Following a tenth-round TKO over one-time WBA champ Hassan N’Dam in November 2021, Alimkhanuly was named the mandatory contender by the WBO.
The sanctioning ordered a fight between Alimkhanuly and then-WBO 160-pound champ Demetrius Andrade in November 2021. But with Andrade sidelined due to injury, Alimkhanuly was matched with Danny Dignum for the Interim title in May 2022. The fighter from Kazakhstan destroyed Dignum in two rounds to win the interim strap. Eventually, Andrade vacated the belt and decided to move up to super middleweight. The sanctioning body elevated Alimkhanuly to full-time WBO champ.
Eventually, Andrade vacated the belt and decided to move up to super middleweight. The sanctioning body elevated Alimkhanuly to a full-time WBO champ. In a Top Rank press release to the boxing media, the champ said the following.
READY TO FIGHT
In a Top Rank press release to the boxing media, the champ said the following:
“I give Denzel Bentley credit for accepting the challenge when so many fighters ran the other way. It is a great honor to defend my world title in Las Vegas at The Palms, and I will once again show the world what ‘Qazaq Style’ is about.”
Bentley, a 27-year-old from London, England ranks fourteenth with the WBO and is the two-time British champion. He enters this bout on a four-fight winning streak. The challenger earned this world title opportunity with a fourth-round TKO over Marcus Morrison in September.
The challenger has visions of scoring what many fans and pundits would consider a major upset. The defending champ is out to prove he’s the best in the division and leave the ring with the belt wrapped around his waist.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
