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Janibek vs Butler and the Jason Moloney vs Vincent Astrolabio WBO bantamweight world title tilt will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET

By Jim Calfa: In a disappointing match-up, WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 8 KOs) will be returning to the ring to make a defense against #6 Steven Butler (32-3-1, 26 KOs) on May 13th on ESPN at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. The card will be live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ at 10:00 pm. ET.

Fans were hoping for a better opponent for Janibek than the Canadian Butler because this guy was destroyed by journeyman Jose de Jesus Macias (28-11-3, 14 KOs) in five rounds in 2021 and by Ryota Murata by  5th round knockout in 2019.

Butler, 27, has won his last four fights but against weak opposition and hasn’t redeemed himself since losing back-to-back fights against Macias and Murata.

WHAT TIME IS  JANIBEK VS. BUTLER TODAY?

• Date: Saturday, May 13
• Start time: 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. BST
• Main event ringwalks (approx): 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. BST
• Viewers in the U.S. can watch the fight live on ESPN+
• The fight will take place at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.
• The main card is set to get underway at 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. BST. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.

In the chief support bout, bantamweight Jason Moloney faces Vincent Astrolabio in a fight for the vacant WBO 118-lb title.

Janibek had many problems in his last fight against Denzel Bentley last November in Las Vegas.

Given that fight’s close, a rematch would have been interesting for the fans. At least, Janibek could prove he’s got the talent to beat Bentley conclusively because many boxing fans had him losing.

It’s too bad Top Rank didn’t set up a fight between Janibek and #1 WBO Gennadiy Golovkin, #2 Liam Smith, or #3 Jaime Munguia. Those would be far more exciting match-ups than Butler for Janibek to defend against.

For Janibek to increase his fan base, he’s got to start fighting better opposition because he’s not going to build a name for himself if he continues to face obscure opposition like he’s been mostly doing during his seven-year professional career.

WBO top 10 contenders at 160

1. Gennadiy Golovkin
2. Liam Smith
3. Jaime Munguia
4. Meirim Nursultanov
5. Felix Cash
6. Steven Butler
7. Michael Zerafa
8. Juan Manuel Taborda
9. Hamzah Sheeraz
10. Vincent Feigenbutz

It appears the card is being staged in Stockton, California, due to lightweight Gabriel Flores Jr. (21-2, 7 KOs), who is from that town in Northern California. He’ll be fighting an eight-rounder against a still-to-be-determined opponent.

Flores Jr needs a win in the worst way, as he’s lost two out of his last three fights. He was beaten by Giovanni Cabrera in a one-sided 10-round unanimous decision last July. Before that, Flores Jr lost to Luis Alberto Lopez.

“We are excited to bring two world championship fights to the wonderful fight city of Stockton,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “Janibek is the most avoided middleweight in the world, but Steven Butler did not hesitate to take on the challenge.

“Jason Moloney has been close to a world title before, but he’ll need to be at his best to defeat a determined Filipino in Vincent Astrolabio.”

JANIBEK  BUTLER CARD

• Janibek Alimkhanuly 159.2 vs. Steven Butler 159.6
• Jason Moloney vs. Vincent Astrolabio
• Gabriel Flores Jr. 134.4 vs. Derrick Murray 134.4
• Javier Martinez 161.2 vs. Joeshon James 161.2
• Ruben Villa 126.4 vs. Maickol Lopez Villagrana 126.6
• Amado Fernando Vargas 129.4 vs. Bernardo Manzano 129.6
• Brian Norman Jr. 148 vs. Jesus Perez 147