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Janibek Ready To Crash
Middleweight World Title Party
Kazakhstan's next middleweight star, Janibek "Qazaq Style"
Alimkhanuly, has long called out world champions and
160-pound standouts. He finally gets a chance to win a belt
this Saturday at Resorts World Las Vegas when he takes on
fellow unbeaten contender Danny Dignum for the vacant WBO
Interim middleweight world title.
Janibek (11-0, 7 KOs) is a 2016 Olympian who broke through
in 2021 with knockout victories over former world champions
Rob Brant and Hassan N'Dam. Dignum (14-0-1, 8 KOs), from
Essex, England, has been the WBO European middleweight
champion since knocking out Conrad Cummings in November
2019.
In the 10-round co-feature, former junior lightweight world
champion Jamel "Semper Fi" Herring returns to the
lightweight ranks against undefeated contender Jamaine "The
Technician" Ortiz (15-0-1, 8 KOs). The ESPN-televised opener
will see U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (3-0, 2 KOs) step up in
a six-round welterweight bout against Agustin Kucharski
(8-4-1, 3 KOs). Janibek-Dignum, Herring-Ortiz and Johnson-Kucharski
will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8
p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+
(5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT) and includes featherweight
contender Adam "Blunose" Lopez (15-3, 6 KOs) against William
Encarnacion (19-2, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder,
featherweight U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (5-0,
1 KO), the comebacking Steven "So Cold" Nelson (17-0, 14
KOs), 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (12-1, 11 KOs), and
former junior featherweight world champion Jessie Magdaleno
(28-1, 18 KOs) returning from a nearly two-year layoff to
fight Edy Valencia Mercado (19-6-6, 7 KOs).
At Thursday's press conference, this is what the fighters
had to say.
Janibek Alimkhanuly
“It’s boxing. Everything happens in boxing, as we all know.
I am very happy that this young man took this fight. We’re
going deliver a very good fight for the audience."
“I think I’m one of the most avoided fighters. And I think
in the future, many are going to continue to step aside.
Many will not want to face me in the ring."
“I respect him very much for taking this fight. He is a good
fighter. He has a good record. He is 14-0. He has a good
amateur career. But when we step in the ring, all the
respect is going to go away. It’s boxing."
“I’ve been preparing for this fight for a very long time.
I’ve learned a lot about him. I’ve learned about all of the
mistakes that he does in the ring. I’ve learned what his
weaknesses are. I’m going to be playing with him, and I’m
going to be showing my ‘Qazaq Style' of fighting.”
Danny Dignum
“This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was nine years old
when I first started boxing. I’m so pleased that the other
fighters didn’t fight him because now it’s going to be my
opportunity to fight him. He’s a very good fighter. I’ve
prepared well. I’ve done everything possible to give myself
every opportunity, and I’m ready to take it."
“I’m pleased the other fighters didn’t take this fight
because otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here now with the
opportunity to box for the interim world title. The
opportunity came up, and I just said yes straight away. I’ve
boxed to try to prove myself, and now I’ve got the
opportunity, and I’ve grabbed it with both hands."
“You’re going to see a good performance from me on Saturday.
I’m going to cause a big upset. I’m going to gain a lot of
fans. I’m looking forward to that.”
Jamel Herring
“Everything’s been good. It was a great camp. I’m just happy
to be back in the ring. Jamaine is basically the only one
that stepped up. You got to give him that respect. I’ve got
nothing against anyone else. Richard Commey was a name that
was thrown at us. But he’s moving up in weight. Robson
Conceição was another name thrown at me. We were supposed to
set up a match against Miguel Berchelt as well, but you see
how that played out."
“But I don’t complain. I don’t fuss. I really don’t give Top
Rank or anyone an issue about who I match up with as long as
it’s a fight that people want to see and it makes sense,
then I’m all for it.”
“I always feel like I have something to prove. I mean, you
guys know it really well. Even when I was champion, I was
considered the underdog in big fights. When I fought
Masayuki Ito, I was the underdog. When I fought Carl
Frampton, I was a big underdog, and so on. I just have the
mentality that no matter who is in the ring, you always got
to take them seriously. You always have to prepare like your
back’s against the wall. That’s how I prepare for every
fight."
"I had a great camp with Manny Robles. A lot of people don’t
know, but we’ve had a relationship for over 10 years. Manny
was actually in my corner when I was getting ready for the
Olympics, through the AIBA Worlds, the Continental
Qualifiers and even the Olympic Games. Coach Manny was
there. I just want to put that out there. Even with the
change, it’s not a big change. I’m familiar with him.”
Jamaine Ortiz
“It’s a big opportunity. I wanted to fight a former world
champion just to get myself up there and prove to myself
that I can beat a former world champion and beat a current
world champion, so this is the road that’s ahead of me."
“Maybe the opponent wasn't something that I was expecting,
but I’m not surprised at the road that I’m heading down by
fighting a former world champion because this is what I
expect in my career by moving up and trying to climb the
ladder. These are the fights that are going to be headed my
way."
“I prepare for every fight with the same mindset. It’s a
tough fight. I do what works. I do what fits best for me and
for my body. We’re going to be ready on Saturday.”
Tiger Johnson
“It’s a blessing. I’m happy to be here. We’re just taking it
one fight at a time. I had a good camp with Brian Castaño.
Shout out to him. He had a good fight. I’m just ready for
whatever."
“It’s been fun. I like fighting. I enjoy getting better as
time goes on. With each fight, you see that I’ve been
improving. It’s going to get better and better, and this
Saturday, you will see.”
On Visiting the White House with the U.S. Olympic Team
“It meant a lot. Because of COVID, we didn’t get a chance to
see the White House, so they arranged it for us. We went
there in the beginning of May, and it felt like I was on the
Olympic team all over again. Then we had a nice gala. It
felt like I was at prom."
Jessie Magdaleno
“It’s been a long two years, and I have been waiting,
waiting and waiting. And now that the time is here, I am
very excited about it. I can’t wait to shine."
“I missed everything. The training. Getting punched. Feeling
the hits. The soreness. I missed it all. I’m very pleased to
be back."
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