Middleweight owner Janibek Alimkhanuly wants to make a statement following his poor performance in his previous game, a decision on Denzel Bentley in November.
Task completed.
The 30-year-old Kazakhstani knocked out dominant challenger Steven Butler three times in a fierce second half, a permanent third, on Saturday night at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.
Alimkhanuly (14-0.9 KOs) used her post-match interview to call out the best in and around the 160-pound division.
We might be witnessing something a little special
Janibek Alimkhanuly beat Steven Butler in two rounds to retain the 160lbs WBO belt 👑
Is he the best middleweight on the planet right now?
🎬 @ESPNRingside#JanibekButler | #knock down pic.twitter.com/zMXtR7mT5e
– IFL Television (@IFLTV) May 14, 2023
“Champion! Boxing superstar! Where are you? I’m waiting,” he said. “Let’s fight. I’m the boxer to stay away from. I am the middle class king. Let’s go. Let’s fight. I am ready for anyone. Anytime. Any where.”
Alimkhanuly defended his WBO title for the second time, having used the first round to beat Butler (32-4-1, 26 KOs), although he did land some good body shots in the stanza preamble.
Then, about a minute into the 2nd Half, a hit on the top left began to finish Butler.
The punch severely injured the Canadian and a series of subsequent blows knocked him down. The brave challenger rose to wobbly legs only to descend from another tumult.
Butler was still in big trouble when referee Jack Reiss gave him a careful look and one more chance to turn things around.
He can not. A final series of powerful and precise hits – blocked by a giant left hand from the south foot – pushed Butler onto the canvas again, causing Reiss to abandon the fight.
The official stoppage time is 2:35 of the 2nd half.
The way Alimkhanuly viewed his spectacular save caught other title holders – Jermall Charlo and Erislandy Lara – taking notice. He also thinks of a particular 168-pound athlete as a potential competitor.
The one-time world amateur champion said: “Canelo [Alvarez] and Charlo, I’ll come.”
In another match on the cards, Australia’s Jason Moloney (26-2, 19 KOs) defeated Vincent Astrolabio (18-4, 13 KOs) of the Philippines by majority decision to claim the vacant 118-pound WBO belt .
The official scores are 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.
