Janibek vs Butler

Who won Janibek vs Butler?

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly beat Steven Butler by knockout in the 2nd round on Saturday 13th May 2023 at Stockton Arena in Stockton.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Middleweight division, which meant the weight limit was 160 pounds (11.4 stone or 72.6 KG).

This contest was for the WBO middleweight championship of the world.

Also, on the undercard Jason Moloney was victorious over Vincent Astrolabio for the WBO World Bantamweight championship, Gabriel Flores Jr beat Derrick Murray and Ruben Villa defeated Maickol Lopez Villagrana.

Janibek vs Butler stats

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 13 wins, zero loses and 0 draws.

Steven Butler made his way to the ring with a record of 32 wins, 3 loses and 1 draw.

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly was the older man by 3 years, at 30 years old.

Butler had 3-inch reach advantage.

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly fought out of the southpaw stance, while Steven Butler was an orthodox fighter.

Alimkhanuly was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 23 less fights, and made his debut in 2016, 2 year and 7 months later than Butler, whose first professional fight was in 2014. He had fought 74 less professional rounds, 81 to Butler's 155.

Steven Butler was ranked number 6 by the WBO and 11 by the IBF in the 160lb division.

Janibek vs Butler form

Alimkhanuly remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Denzel Bentley on 12th November 2022 by unanimous decision in their WBO World Middleweight championship fight at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, United States.

Previous to that, he had won against Danny Dignum on 21st May 2022 by knockout in the 2nd round in their WBO Interim World Middleweight championship fight at Resorts World Las Vegas, Las Vegas.

Going into that contest, he had beat Hassan N’Dam on 20th November 2021 by technical knockout in the 8th round at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Nevada.

Before that, he had defeated Rob Brant on 26th June 2021 by technical knockout in the 8th round at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Nevada.

He had won against Gonzalo Gaston Coria on 9th October 2020 by knockout in the 2nd round at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

Butler had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Joshua Conley on 16th December 2022 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Centre Gervais Auto, Shawinigan, Canada.

Previous to that, he had defeated Mark DeLuca on 16th September 2022 by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Montreal Casino, Montreal.

Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Jose De Jesus Macias on 29th January 2021 by knockout in the 5th round at Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.

Before that, he had lost to Ryota Murata on 23rd December 2019 by technical knockout in the 5th round in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at Arena, Kanagawa, Japan.

He had beat Paul Valenzuela Jr on 26th September 2019 by knockout in the 1st round at Montreal Casino, Quebec, Canada.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Zhanibek Alimkhanuly had been fighting more than Steven Butler.

Going to this contest, Zhanibek Alimkhanuly had last fought 6 months and 26 days ago, while Steven Butler's last outing had been 5 months and 22 days ago.

Alimkhanuly's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 7 months and 29 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 6 months and 13 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 32 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.4 rounds on average.

Butler's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 8 months and 12 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 27 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 23 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 4.6 rounds on average.

What time did Janibek vs Butler start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:30 PM EST / 8:30 PM PST at Stockton Arena, Stockton, United States, which was around 4:30 AM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Janibek vs Butler?

The ESPN show is expected to begin at 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST. The Sky Sports Action broadcast of the card is expected to start at 1:00 AM (BTS).

What were the odds on Janibek vs Butler?

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly was a 3/50 (-1700) favourite going into the contest, while Steven Butler made his way into the ring at 15/2 (+750) with oddsmakers.