On November 12, at Palms Casino Resort will take place – undefeated WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly and Denzel Bentley will fight for the WBA title. At the moment the belt is in the hands of the Kazakh.
Bentley’s punches are very powerful and come from wild angles. Keeps his front hand low, cannot prepare his attacks, rushes at his opponent rashly, but is still quite dangerous because he is completely unpredictable. The problem for Janibek is that amateur boxers do not like to fight such fighters because they are sloppy. The underdog also has a solid shortstop. The left-handed Alimkhanula has one major problem that is rarely talked about. He doesn’t rely heavily on his front hand (which is surprising, given that the fighter is trained by James “Double Jab” McGirt) – it’s used more as a longswing. And “good stopping” is very important in fights with such “wild aggressors”.
Another point is Bentley’s right cross. He could also theoretically pass if Janibek ignores the jabs. Otherwise, it’s a piece of work for a champion. Failing and countering is Alimkhanuly’s main thing. We think he’ll playfully tear the Brit, take him out, shake him up and take him to the equator. Very likely an early knockout.
Alimkhanuly is a titled amateur boxer. He was the champion of the world, Asia and Asian Games. At the 2016 Olympics he reached the quarter final. Amateur record of 300 wins with 8 losses. Since 2016, he has been competing in the professionals. He signed a contract with Bob Arum’s Top Rank in 2018. Prospect was immediately promoted to opposition level, and in 2019 he was taken out to fight for the WBO Global title – Christian Olivas was defeated.
In 2021, Alimkhanuly beat two consecutive former world champions, Rob Brant and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, for which he was voted “prospect of the year” by vRINGe. In 2022, the Kazakhstani fought Danny Dignum for the “interim” WBO belt, knocking him out in the 2nd round.
He has been competing in the pros since 2017. In 2019, the fighter was gradually upgraded in opposition. In 2020 he drew his bout with stalwart Mark Heffron – sent his opponent to a knockdown in the course of the bout, but failed to finish. In rematch he won by refusing to continue the fight, for which he was rewarded with the British Championship belt. In 2021, in the Prospect Clash he lost early to Felix Cash. Since then he fought three fights, winning three times. Defeated Sam Evans, Linus Udofia and Marcus Morrison. He has fought all his fights in Britain.
Age – 29;
Height – 1.82;
Weight – N/A;
Reach – 1.82;
Stance – Southpaw;
Statistics – 12-0-2 (8 Knockdowns)
Age – 27;
Height – 1.80;
Weight – N/A;
Reach – 1.83;
Stance – Orthodox;
Statistics – 17-1-1 (14 Knockdowns).
Where will this fixture be played?
The event will take place at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.
Which bookmaker has the best odds for this game?
We recommend checking out the odds for the professional middleweight boxing tournament: Alimkhanuly vs Bentley at 1xBet.