Janibek Alimkhanuly, the latest middleweight sensation from Kazakhstan, will defend his WBO Global and WBC Continental Americas belts in a 10-rounder against fellow unbeaten Issah Samir on the March 28 Beterbiev-Meng WBC/IBF light heavyweight card at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. Both bouts air on ESPN.
The ESPN-streamed undercard will see the return of heavyweight contender Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas in a 10-rounder against 2004 U.S. Olympian Devin Vargas.
WBA #4 Alimkhanuly (8-0, 4 KOs), who is trained by Buddy McGirt and managed by three-time BWAA Manager of the Year Egis Klimas, represented Kazakhstan at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I only want the toughest competition. That’s why I am a contender after eight pro fights,” Alimkhanuly said. “This is a great opportunity to showcase my skills live on ESPN. I will leave Canada with the ‘0’ on my record. I want to thank Samir for taking the fight, but he won’t be able to solve the ‘Qazaq Style’ puzzle.”
Samir (18-0, 15 KOs) represented Ghana at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and turned pro in 2011, knocking out eight opponents in his first year in the paid ranks. “I am coming to Canada to steal the show,” Samir said. “Every time I enter the ring, I fight for Ghana and our great champions who paved the way. Janibek is a skilled fighter, but I know he has not fought anyone like me.”
Rivas (26-1, 18 KOs), who recently signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank, had an action-packed 2019. He knocked out former world title challenger Bryant Jennings in January and knocked down — and nearly knocked out — Dillian Whyte in July before dropping a unanimous decision for the WBC interim heavyweight world title. Ranked #3 by the WBC,
Vargas (22-6, 9 KOs) revitalized his career in January with an upset victory over 2004 Puerto Rican Olympian Victor Bisbal. Last August, he knocked out then-unbeaten Irish prospect Niall Kennedy in five rounds.
In other undercard action on ESPN+:
Wilfried Seyi (8-0, 4 KOs), a native of Cameroon who calls Montreal home, will fight Alan Carrillo (11-4, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder at super middleweight. Sey represented Cameroon at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and he recently qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In an eight-round super bantamweight battle, Ismael Camacho Garcia (12-2-3, 5 KOs) will face Montreal-based veteran Vislan Dalkhaev (12-1, 3 KOs), who has won three in a row.
Heavyweight prospect Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (6-0, 6 KOs), a 2016 Italian Olympian, will face an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder.
Montreal-based super middleweight KO artist Christian “Solide” Mbilli (16-0, 15 KOs) will face Mexican veteran Felipe “El Pinocho” Ugalde (18-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder.