By Jim Calfa: WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly weighed in at 159.3 lbs, and IBF champ Vincenzo Gualtieri weighed in at 159.5 lbs on Friday at their weigh-in for their unification fight this Saturday night in Rosenberg, Texas. The event will be shown on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Janibek & Gualtieri had a face-off that lasted for over a minute today, and it seemed like they were never going to turn away. Finally, a smirking Janibek turned away, looking triumphant for some reason. What was interesting about the face-off was the size difference between the two.
The 6’0″ Janibek looked a lot taller than the 5’10 1/2″ Gualtieri, at least two to three inches taller, which makes you wonder if the listed height
Weights for Saturday night on ESPN @ 10:30 p.m. ET
- Janibek Alimkhanuly 159.3 vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri 159.5
- Keyshawn Davis 135 vs. Nahir Albright 134.9
Prelim weigh-in results for ESPN+, 5:55 p.m. ET
- Richard Torrez Jr. 233.1 vs. Tyrell Anthony Herndon 234.8
- Guido Vianello 241.3 vs. Curtis Harper 275.5
- Giovanni Marquez 141.3 vs. Donte Strayhorn 140.2
- Duke Ragan 125.3 vs. Jose Perez 126.4
- Kelvin Davis 142 vs. Narciso Carmona 142.6
- Alan Garcia 137.8 vs. Nelson Hampton 137.3
- Humberto Galindo 131.7 vs. Oscar Bravo 130.8
- Jakhongir Zokirov 263.5 vs. Guillermo Del Rio 217.1
Top Rank is maneuvering Janibek (14-0, 9 KOs) toward becoming the undisputed champ at 160, hoping this will turn him into a star. He’s got a tough opponent standing in front of him in Germany’s Gualtieri (21-0, 7 KOs).
In the co-feature weights, lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) weighed in at 135 at the limit for the division, while his opponent Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KOs) came in at 134,9 lbs for their ten round bout.
Some boxing fans believe this fight should be the actual main event, as Keyshawn is arguably more popular than Janibek already, and he has the potential to be a superstar without needing to become undisputed.
The 24-year-old Keyshawn has natural charisma and has an exciting two-fisted style. He’s not a one-armed fighter like Janibek, who mainly uses his left hand to win fights.
“October 14th in Rosenberg, Texas, on ESPN+. I’m really excited about it,” said heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jr. to ProBox TV. Everybody always says, ‘Who is your opponent? What’s this guy have to offer?’ I’m going in there to try and showcase what Richard Torrez has.
“I’m going to try and give a performance of my lifetime. I think that’s what’s going to help me become a better boxer in general as well. It’s not about focusing on the needs of this fighter, but becoming a better boxer myself,” said Torrez.
