WBO and IBF middleweight world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly defends his belts against Andrei Mikhailovich in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Saturday (ESPN+ at 6:40 p.m. ET).
Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs), of Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, is making the third defense of his WBO title and the first of the IBF belt. He won the WBO world title with a unanimous decision victory over Denzel Bentley in November 2022. He defended the belt six months later with an impressive second-round KO win over Steven Butler. Last October, Alimkhanuly stopped Vincenzo Gualtieri in Round 6 to add the IBF belt.
“I look forward to defending my world titles, and I must give Andrei Mikhailovich a lot of credit,” Alimkhanuly said when the fight was officially announced in late May. “The other world middleweight champions refused the challenge, and he stepped up to the plate.”
His promoter, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, labeled Alimkhanuly as the “best middleweight in the world” and added his fighter is “willing to fight anyone in that division.”
Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs), of Saint Petersburg, Russia, but based in Auckland, New Zealand, has never fought outside his adopted country. His most recent fight was a first-round TKO victory over Les Sherrington in April.
Friday night in Managua, Nicaragua, local hero and future Hall of Famer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez faces Rober Barrera in a 10-round bantamweight bout (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET). This is Gonzalez’s first fight in his home country in almost 10 years.
Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs) is a four-division champion. He lost the WBC junior bantamweight title in a majority decision loss to Juan Francisco Estrada in December 2022. He’s hoping a victory on Friday will catapult him to another title opportunity.
In Philadelphia on Saturday, IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis takes on David Avanesyan in a 12-round battle, the main event of a DAZN card that also includes a women’s featherweight title fight between WBC champion Skye Nicolson and contender Dyana Vargas.
Ennis (31-0, 8 KOs), of Philadelphia, won the IBF interim welterweight title against Karen Chukhadzhian in January 2023, but he was recently elevated to full champion by the organization, who also named Terence Crawford its champion in recess.
Where can I watch the ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez vs. Barrera fight card on Friday?
The “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Barrera fight card includes six fights and starts at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where can I watch the Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich fight card Saturday?
The Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich fight card includes nine fights and starts at 6:40 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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How do I stream the fights?
The fights will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.
“Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Barrera full card on ESPN+:
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Roman Gonzalez vs. Rober Barrera, 10 rounds, bantamweights
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Eveling Ortega vs. Karol Mazariegos Gonzalez, 8 rounds, women’s junior flyweights
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Kevin Vivas vs. Azael Villar, 8 rounds, junior flyweights
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Michael Carmona vs. Edwin Cano Hernandez, 8 rounds, strawweights
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Elysson Marquez vs. Aron Juarez, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Jeffrey Gonzalez vs. Andres Quesada, 4 rounds, heavyweights
Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich full card on ESPN+:
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Title fight: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovich, 12 rounds, for Alimkhanuly’s WBO and IBF middleweight titles
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Raymond Muratalla vs. Tevin Farmer, 10 rounds, lightweights
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Ruben Villa vs. Sulaiman Segawa, 10 rounds, featherweights
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Jonathan Lopez vs. Leonardo Padilla, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
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Charlie Sheehy vs. Ricardo Quiroz, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Art Barrera Jr. vs. Javier Mayoral, 6 rounds, welterweights
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Israel Mercado vs. Dondrell Haynes, 6 rounds, junior welterweights
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Albert Gonzalez vs. Conrado S. Martinez, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
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Javier Zamarron vs. Michael Bracamontes, 6 rounds, featherweights
What other fight cards are happening this weekend and where can I watch them?
Saturday, July 13 in Philadelphia (DAZN)
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Title fight: Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, 12 rounds, for Ennis’ IBF welterweight title
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Title fight: Skye Nicolson vs. Dyana Vargas, 10 rounds, for Nicolson’s WBC women’s featherweight title
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Christopher Diaz vs. Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
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Jalil Major Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, 10 rounds, welterweights
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Khalil Coe vs. Manuel Gallegos, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
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Christian Carto vs. Carlos Buitrago, 8 rounds, bantamweights
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Ismail Muhammad vs. Frank Brown, 6 rounds, junior welterweights
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Dennis Thompson vs. Fernando Joaquin Valdez, 4 rounds, bantamweights
For all the other main fight cards in boxing, please visit the ESPN boxing schedule.
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Source: www.espn.com