Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovich: Fight date, how to watch and prediction [UPDATED]

UPDATE: Janibek Alimkhanuly was supposed to defend his WBO/IBF world middleweight championships against Andrei Mikhailovich from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 13, but due to a botched weight cut, the fight was canceled. The card will now go forward with Raymond Muratalla vs Tevin Farmer as the main event.

Alimkhanuly sports an undefeated record of 15-0 with 10 wins coming by way of knockout. In his most recent outing the former Olympian unified the WBO and IBF titles with a 6th round knockout of then IBF titlist Vincenzo Gualtieri. Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan is trying to fill the void left in the middleweight division with the retirement of his fellow countryman, Gennady Golovkin.

Mikhailovich is challenging for his first world title and brings with him a record of 21-0 with 13 wins by knockout. His most recent victory came by knockout in a catch weight bout with the unheralded Lee Sherrington. Despite his thin resume, Mikhailovich is ranked #3 by the IBF and #10 by the WBO. This will be a massive step up in competition for him. Mikhaolovich, originally from St. Petersburg Russia, will be fighting for the first time in the United States having fought all of his fights in his adopted home of New Zealand or Australia.

Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovich prediction

Alimkhanuly is listed as a massive favorite by the odds makers and it's not hard to see why. His amateur background and Olympic pedigree are leaps and bounds above that of Mikhailovich. Alimkhanuly has wins over several former world champions and has unified two world titles. His power is undeniable and former WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade outright refused to fight him, vacating his belt. Even betting on a knockout win for Alimkhanuly will have you laying -500.

Mikhailovich is undefeated and ranked highly by several of the sanctioning bodies. But this is during a historically weak era in the middleweight division coming of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin moving up in weight and retiring respectively. Mikhailovich has never fought in the United States compared to Alimkhanuly having fought in the US the vast majority of his career.

Look for a feeling out period to occur over the first few rounds with Alimkhanuly targeting the body around Mikhailovich's defensive shell. Alimkhanuly will break him down and force a stopage between rounds six and eight.

PREDICTION: Janibek Alimkhanuly via seventh-round TKO

Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich will stream exclusively on ESPN+ with the broadcast starting at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT. The undercard fights will begin streaming at 6:50 p.m. ET/3:50 p.m. PT.