- The IBF and WBO World Middleweight unification bout goes down this weekend inside the Fort Bend County Community Center Center in Rosenberg, Texas.
- Janibek Alimkhanuly is the heavy betting favorite at -900.
- Vincenzo Gualtieri is the overwhelming betting underdog at +550.
The Fort Bend County Community Center in Rosenberg, Texas, will play host to the IBF and WBO World Middleweight unification fight between Janibek Alimkhanuly (14-0) and Vincenzo Gualtieri (21-0-1) this Saturday, Oct. 14. Both Alimkhanuly and Gualtieri are undefeated fighters, but the former is the heavy favorite in online sports betting via the boxing odds.
Two Middleweight belts at stake 🔥
Welcome to #JanibekGualtieri fight week! pic.twitter.com/6y1IjiXsK0
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 9, 2023
Alimkhanuly is the -900 favorite against Gualtieri, who takes the overwhelming underdog role at +550. The big difference in the finishing rate is one factor for their place in the betting lines. Additionally, the Kazakh has more world title defenses of his WBO title than the German, who just won his IBF belt in his previous bout.
Janibek Alimkhanuly Recent Fight Results
Janibek Alimkhanuly was a former Olympian who competed in the 2016 Rio Games. He is a two-time Asian Games Gold Medalist for Kazakhstan. Following his quarterfinal finish in the 2016 Olympics, Alimkhanuly made his professional debut by beating Milton Nunez in October 2016 via first-round TKO. Since then, he added four more wins to his record and earned his way to title contention.
In April 2019, the “Qazaq Style” won two minor boxing titles against Stuart McLellan and made four successive title defenses. After defending the minor boxing titles, Alimkhanuly beat Danny Dignum in May 2022 for the WBO interim world middleweight title via second-round knockout to set up a WBO world middleweight showdown with Denzel Bentley in November 2022, where the Kazakh won via unanimous decision. The 30-year-old fended off the challenge from Steven Butler in his previous fight to keep his WBO belt.
.@QazaqStyle did damage in his last outing 🥶#JanibekGualtieri | OCT 14 | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/aZqR71Wd1A
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 10, 2023
Vincenzo Gualtieri Recent Fight Results
Vincenzo Gualtieri was an accomplished German national champion before making the jump to the paid ranks in 2015. “Il Capo” strung up 14 straight victories since his pro debut before winning his first minor boxing title in June 2020 by beating Alexander Pavlov for the vacant BDB German Middleweight title. After that title triumph, Gualtieri competed in six bouts and scored five wins and one draw.
Included in that six-fight stretch are his IBO Continental Middleweight and IBF Inter-Continental Middleweight title triumphs. Those wins earned the German boxing star a shot for the vacant IBF World Middleweight title in July 2023 against Esquiva Falcão, where Gualtieri scored two knockdowns during the fight for a dominant unanimous decision victory.
Almost that time again ⌚️🍿#JanibekGualtieri | OCT 14 | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/eo9sjXgSRw
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 9, 2023
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri: Tale of the Tape
| Janibek Alimkhanuly | Vincenzo Gualtieri | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 | 30 |
| Height | 6’0” | 6’0” |
| Reach | 72 inches | 72 inches |
| Record | 14-0 | 21-0-1 |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| TKO/KO Percentage | 64% | 33% |
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri: Fight Analysis
The tale of the tape between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Vincenzo Gualtieri is almost similar, with both in the prime years of their careers at 30 years old and standing at 6 feet. Both boxing stars are also undefeated. The only difference is the slight 1-inch advantage of Alimkhanuly over Gualtieri and the higher TKO/KO percentage.
Stylistically, both have different approaches, with Alimkhanuly mostly fighting in close range and constantly pressures his opponents forward, while Gualtieri fights at a certain range and likes to sit and wait for counters. Another major difference between the two is the fighting stance, as the Kazakh being the southpaw fighter and the German fighting in orthodox.
The WBO Middleweight champion likes to pressure his opponents onto the ropes and closes the range before firing his signature combinations to the head. Spearheading his combinations are the powerful one-two straight punches and the left hook that can easily wobble opponents when he finds the target. Once he smells blood, Alimkhanuly pounces more combinations until he gets the finish.
On the other hand, Gualtieri is more of a ranged fighter who happily utilizes his reach to land punches on his opponent’s head and body. The IBF Middleweight champion pairs this with top-level footwork. This still allows him to become a dangerous fighter even if he fights on the backpedal. The German boxing star also has the capability to sneak in counterpunches.
The key for Alimkhanuly in this unification showdown is to impose his pressure early and close the distance immediately on Gualtieri. This will set the pace of the fight and disrupt the long-range fighting style of his opponent. Meanwhile, Gualtieri should maximize his footwork to move side-to-side and avoid the power shots the former Olympian is expected to throw.
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri: Date and Start Time
Oct. 14, 2023, 8 p.m. PT
Oct. 14, 2023, 10 p.m. CT
Oct. 14, 2023, 11 p.m. ET
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri: Fight Prediction
Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Janibek Alimkhanuly.
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