By: Sean Crose
WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade has been ordered by the sanctioning body to face rival Janinek Alimkhanuly as the next required opponent. While this means that the skilled Rhode Islander won’t face the kind of big-name opponent he’s always dreamed of facing (like someone named Charlo, or Golovkin), he’ll have to face it. face a legitimate opponent. Fighting out of Oxnard, California, Alimkhanuly, home of Kazakhstan, has an impressive 11-0 record with seven kills to his name. His last match was Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam’s eighth-round make-up match a few weeks ago in Las Vegas.
As for Andrade, 31, the world title impressed a lot of people when he crushed Jason Quigley a few weeks in New Hampshire. The destruction of Quigley in the second round reminded many people how good Andrade, 33 years old. While he’s never fought one of the bigger names in middleweight – at least not yet – Andrade has been able to more or less easily outmaneuver all the opponents. The fact that the famous boxers weren’t exactly lined up to face the man could be an indication of just how wary Andrade can be towards some potential opponents.
However, do not expect Alimkhanuly to be wary. This is a lifetime opportunity for 28 year olds. Having stopped all five of his final opponents in the distance, the boxer is flying high. Just how tall? High enough that his camp requested, and granted, the required WBO candidate position. With an Olympic pedigree behind him (he fought in the 2016 Olympics for Kazakhstan), Alimkhanuly certainly likes his chance to go into battle with Andrade. On the other hand, whether he can be the best in the boxer nicknamed “Boo Boo” is another matter.
If a deal isn’t struck within the next 20 days, camp for both boxers will see everything settled in an auction starting at $200,000 dollars. That means any WBO approved promotional outlet can bid for the right to promote the game. If Andrade finally pulls out a win from his fight with Alimkhanuly, he’ll prove – once again – that he’s ready to fight one of the game’s bigger names. On the other hand, if Alimkhanuly wins, the boxing world will once again be rocked by a massive attack. Andrade-Alimkhanuly is certainly a match to behold, but it would be great to see Andrade face a notable opponent before the aging process begins to take its toll on his substantial skill set.
