Unusual things have happened in boxing, but this one is extra special. IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly was scheduled to square off against his IBF mandatory challenger Andrei Mikhailovich back on the July 13th ESPN show at Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

However, the fight was canceled during the pre-fight weigh-ins, as the 31-year-old was reportedly rushed to the hospital for dehydration. Fast forward to Tuesday, the duo entered a purse bid once again for their rescheduled fight, which seems to have left ‘Qazaq Style’ with a lack of words as his promoter Top Rank lost the bid to Mikhailovich’s promoter No Limit Boxing by a mere $1000. 

According to a post from acclaimed boxing journalist Dan Rafael, No Limit Boxing posted a bid of $351,000 in Australia, which edged over Top Rank’s $350,000. Rafael himself was gobsmacked by the $1K difference in the bids, as he added, “Can’t recall a bid decided by $1k. WILD!” However, he couldn’t have been more shocked than Alimkhanuly himself.

Learning about this, the Zhilandy, Kazakhstan native responded to Rafael’s post, noting, “I have no words! What is this @trboxing @BobArum @CarlMoretti?” Regardless, according to their purse split, now Alimkhanuly is slated to take home a guaranteed purse of $228,150, which is 65% of the total purse bid. Meanwhile, his challenger, Mikhailovich, will be entitled to the remaining 35%, which is $122,850.

This leaves Alimkhanuly with a choice to make—either vacate the title, given the low end of the purse, or defend his title against Mikhailovich. The latter, however, will fight for the IBF title regardless—either against Alimkhanuly or against an unassigned opponent, should Alimkhanuly vacate. Interestingly, when the fight was initially canceled, even the WBO was seeking answers from Alimkhanuly. 

WBO demanded medical certification notice from Janibek Alimkhanuly

Back in July, the WBO issued a critical demand for medical certification from unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly following his last-minute withdrawal from a scheduled title defense against Andrei Mikhailovich. Alimkhanuly was hospitalized due to dehydration, prompting the cancellation of the bout. The WBO had given Alimkhanuly and his team ten days to submit a detailed medical explanation of his condition, including recovery prognosis and clearance, to return to the ring.

This demand came after concerns grew over Alimkhanuly’s ability to continue competing at middleweight. Failure to provide the required medical documentation could have resulted in the loss of his WBO and IBF titles. The 31-year-old Kazakh southpaw last fought in October 2023, where he unified his titles with a dominant stoppage of Vincenzo Gualtieri. As the middleweight division remains largely dormant, Alimkhanuly’s next move is crucial for his career and the division’s future.

Having said that, no official fight date has been revealed as of the time of writing. While there’s a good chance Alimkhanuly would take the fight despite a low purse, the future of the middleweight division hangs in the balance. What did you think about the $1K difference in the purse bid? Do you think Top Rank is uninterested in the middleweight division?