WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alikhanuly has reached an agreement to unify titles with Vincenzo Gualitieri on Oct. 14, as reported by ESPN. The unification match will be held in Rosenberg, TX and headline on a Top Rank on ESPN card that evening.
The 30-year-old Alimkhanuly (14-0, 9 KOs) won the WBO’s interim title last spring and has since taken two more victories over Denzel Bentley and Steven Butler, the latter of whom was stopped in only two rounds. And this event will be an opportunity for Alimkhanuly to build his brand on national television.
Meanwhile Gualtieri (21-0-1, 7 KOs) will be fighting outside his native Germany for the first time in his professional career, as he’ll make his way Stateside to appear on much bigger platform than he’s ever been on before. Gualtieri won the vacant IBF world title this past July with a unanimous decision win over Esquiva Falcao and hopes to ride that momentum.