Exclusive: Andrei Mikhailovich Set For Center Stage Against Janibek Alimkhanuly ‘this is my party’

Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0 13KO) exudes self-belief, the self-belief of someone who has battled and conquered their inner doubts and fears, the self-belief of a man who knows who he is and feels comfortable in his own skin, regardless of what anyone else may or may not say.

So on Saturday night, at the mecca of boxing that is Las Vegas, when the Russian-born New Zealander steps into the ring to meet Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0 10KO) for the Kazakh’s WBO and IBF middleweight titles, don’t expect the 26-year-old to wilt under the bright lights.

“I haven’t been nervous at all. I’m extremely focused and aware of the situation, but I feel like I was always meant to be here,” Mikhailovich says, speaking to Boxing Daily.

“You know when you go to the wrong party. I feel like this party is about me, and this is my party. It doesn’t feel like I’m attending someone else’s party. “

The announcement of Alimkhanuly’s fight ended a frustrating chapter in Mikhailovich’s career. The 26-year-old had been scheduled to fight Germany’s Denis Radovan in an IBF title eliminator. The fight never eventuated following successive injuries to Radovan, and the stop-start-stop nature of the proposed bout meant Mikhailovich had a lengthy leave of absence from the ring.

“It was a really, really tough year. But I had to exercise patience. I trained right throughout, irrespective of what was happening in my life. The gym was like a beacon of hope for me, a place where I could come and feel safe. Like with the outside, my life was hectic and crazy, and there were a lot of things going on,” he explains.

Mikhailovich has used the past 12 months wisely, sharpening his skills while growing and maturing as a man outside of boxing. Adopted, along with his twin brother, from a St Petersburg orphanage, Mikhailovich, who in his early teens was in counselling for drugs and alcohol, has faced adversity that few will understand. It is in facing that adversity that has helped shape the man he has become.

“I felt like, in hindsight, I probably needed that year in between fights to grow up and, you know, and to get a bit more maturity,” he says.

“You know, there have been lots of bad moments in my life, and time and time again, I have risen and proved people wrong.

” It’s almost been like the fucking story of my life. People doubt me; I proved them wrong,” he explains.

Mikhailovich is fully aware of the challenge awaiting him this Saturday at the Palm’s Casino Resort, but he is not overawed by it. Alimkhanuly’s most recent outing was an impressive beatdown of Germany’s Vincenzo Gualtieri, which saw the 31-year-old capture the IBF middleweight strap to go along with his WBO title.

It was a fight that seemed over from the start, with Gualtieri rarely throwing a punch in anger as Alimkhanuly romped home with a sixth-round stoppage victory. Anyone who expects a repeat of the Alimkhanuly-Gualtieri would best think again. Mikhailovich will have a reach advantage, is exceptionally quick, and will not be afraid to trade with Alimkhanuly.

While this will be the toughest fight of Mikhailovich’s career, Mikhailovich will be walking into the ring on Saturday confident he has the skills to maintain his undefeated record,

“It’s about perception. If you look at the mountain and you go,’ Man, it’s too high; I can’t climb it’, you won’t climb it. But if you look at it piece by piece and you really break it down, it’s not really that big of a deal. I view Janibek as a solid, good professional.

“It’s all about perception. I think he’s a man, I think I’m a man, and I think he’s had a good career, but I’ve also had a good career. I think he has a good left uppercut, but I’ve got an amazing left hook. So he’s just another guy to me,”

The odds makers and most of the media may have Alimkhanuly as the overwhelming favorite, but it means little to Mikhailovich, who knows that his destiny will lie squarely in his own hands when the opening bell rings.

“I like it when people write me off. I like it when I feel like I’m in a corner and I have to fight; that’s when I feel like I thrive. If you think about the instinct of fight or flight, I don’t think there’s a flight in me. Even though I love aviation, I think I’m just a killer man. That’s my calling.”