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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Janibek Alimkhanuly was forced to withdraw from Saturday’s IBF/WBO middleweight title defense vs. Andrei Mikhailovich in Las Vegas, promoter Top Rank announced Friday.
Alimkhanuly was admitted to Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center on Thursday evening after he fainted while “cutting the final pounds,” per the boxer’s manager, Egis Klimas.
“He was put on an IV,” Klimas said. “While the scans showed no kidney damage, he was severely dehydrated and in no condition to fight.
The Raymond Muratalla-Tevin Farmer 10-round lightweight fight will now headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+. Muratalla is ESPN’s No. 8 lightweight while Farmer is a former champion.
Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 1 middleweight. The 31-year-old Kazakh has made three title defenses. He was a heavy favorite to defeat Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs), a 26-year-old from New Zealand set to challenge for his first title.