Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly (14-0, 9 KOs) defended his WBO world title with a second-round stoppage against Canadian contender Steven Butler (32-4-1, 26 KOs) Saturday night at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.
Alimkhanuly spent the first round collecting data on his opponent, stalking him around the ring and noticing how Butler would overcommit when throwing punches.
The 30-year-old southpaw capitalized on this by landing a counter left uppercut that badly wobbled Butler in the following round. Alimkhanuly then only needed two or three more shots to send him to the canvas.
A vicious assault continued as Alimkhanuly landed power shot after power shot, dropping Butler for a second time. Referee Jack Reiss allowed Butler to continue, but his legs demonstrated that he was out on his feet.
Butler was given one final chance, but the native of Zhilandy, Kazakhstan landed another flurry that sent him down for a third and final time at 2:35 of the second round.
Janibek would then call for the other titleholders to face him.
Alimkhanuly said, “Championsl. Boxing superstars! Where are you? I am waiting. Let’s fight. I am the most avoided boxer. I am the middleweight king. Let’s go. Let’s fight. I am ready for anybody. Anytime. Anywhere.”
The current WBA champion, Erislandy Lara, will be making a voluntary defense against Danny Garcia in August. The IBF championship is currently vacant after Gennadiy Golovkin dropped the title. Esquiva Falcao and Vincenzo Gualtieri will collide for the vacant belt later this year. And the WBC champion, Jermall Charlo, has been out of the ring with personal issues. He is expected to return at some point in the summer.