The WBO Has Officially Ordered the Next Fight for Demetrius Andrade – Who Is His Next Opponent?

Still fresh from a successful title defense on November 11, the WBO has already ordered Demetrius Andrade to defend the belt once again. Having held the middleweight strap for over three years, ‘Boo Boo’ deserves a shot at the bigger men. However, most of the kingpins have avoided battling the undefeated American, and that has clearly vexed Andrade to a certain extent.

After his latest KO win against Jason Quigley, Andrade called out Gennady Golovkin, who will face Ryota Murata in a few weeks. A few months back, he had even called out Canelo Alvarez and Jermall Charlo. As neither of them showed interest, Andrade has no choice but to continue boxing mandatory challengers.

His upcoming opponent is an unbeaten middleweight contender, rapidly climbing the ladder to fame. Kazakh star Janibek Alimkhanuly will reportedly have his shot at the WBO 160 lbs belts next. Both sides have 20 days to come under terms. Else, the fight will go to purse bids.

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Can Demetrius Andrade defend his bet against Janibek Alimkhanuly?

31-0 as a professional, Andrade is a two-division world champion and one of the best at 160 lbs right now. But he is not one of the very marketable fighters and has failed to bag his chance against the best names. Despite his sheer dominance, Andrade is still levels below his contemporaries and is overlooked by many casuals.

That doesn’t take away the in-ring qualities that have helped him become a terror in the middleweight roster. Well, his next opponent may be unfazed by all of these.

28-year-old Alimkhanuly’s rise to 11-0 is clearly commendable. However, it is nowhere near Andrade’s elite numbers. Hence, ‘Qazaq Style’ will be the underdog.

Given that boxing is unpredictable, the Kazakh will know that he has a puncher’s chance to end Andrade’s run. Akin to Andrade, Janibek Alimkhanuly is also a southpaw and has scored 7 of his 11 wins via stoppage. Also, as it will be his maiden shot at the world championship, it will work as extra fuel for Alimkhanuly’s drive.

Janibek Alimkhanuly

Record- 11-0, KOs-7, Stance:-Southpaw, Division:- Middleweight, Height: 5’11 ½ “, Reach: 71 ½”, Nickname- Qazaq Style.

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