Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly, hailing from the distant terrains of Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, seemed like he was warming up his car on a cold morning for the first few rounds. I mean, who takes that long to establish a rhythm? Eventually, he seemed to get a read on Gualtieri, who probably wished he’d read a different script for the night.
Let’s chat about Gualtieri’s exciting strategy of… lateral movements and bursts of offense. Sounds fancy, right? Until you realize he might have been dodging more than fighting. That was until Janibek’s counter left uppercut in the fifth – it was like watching someone get slapped with reality. Hard.
Gualtieri somehow managed to hang on (major props to him for not passing out). But by round six, with all the punches he didn’t respond to, the referee must’ve thought he was watching a mannequin challenge. Fight stopped at 1:25. Janibek’s remarks post-fight? Apparently, this beating session was his “Qazaq style.” Gualtieri, always the gentleman, even when sporting new bruises, gracefully admitted that Janibek was the better man. Or maybe just the less battered one.
Switching gears to the other brawl—err, fight—of the night. U.S. Olympic silver medalist, Keyshawn Davis, went head-to-head with Nahir Albright. Now, for those who missed it (or blinked too often), the fight can be summarized as: Davis landed punches, Albright got hit. Though, Davis did seem to take a short nap in the last two rounds, letting Albright catch up just a tad. Thankfully, Davis woke up in time to secure a win and then expressed his aspiration to climb the 135-pound division ladder.
In summary? Janibek might consider a career in teaching the “Qazaq style” of fighting (or dancing, if we weren’t explicitly avoiding that term). Gualtieri should probably ice that face. And Davis and Albright? Well, let’s hope they keep giving us these exciting fights.
First on our list of headline-makers on the undercard: the formidable Richard Torrez Jr. It took this U.S. Olympic silver medalist all but a few moments to get into the zone. The way he cut the distance and went on full attack mode from the get-go, it seemed like he had a vendetta against time itself. Those short combos coming from his southpaw stance were like an artist’s paintbrush strokes—swift, precise, and downright effective.
Then came the left hand, the game-changer, and down went Tyrrell Anthony Herndon. The referee, Alejandro Leon, probably thought he was watching a Hollywood action flick and not a boxing fight given the pace of it. I mean, the stoppage time? 1:26. I’ve waited longer for my coffee!
Torrez Jr.’s post-fight remarks were interesting. He’s the epitome of “go with the flow.” According to him, knockouts are like accidentally finding money in your laundry—it’s a pleasant surprise but never expected. This man just wanted to box, and box he did, even if it was for a short two rounds.
Now, shifting our attention to Guido Vianello and Curtis Harper. This wasn’t just a fight; it was a chess match. Vianello, the Italian machine, was consistent, and one could say, meticulous in his approach. He might have found it challenging to get a clean shot on Harper (who seemed to have mastered the art of being evasive), but that didn’t deter him. Round after round, he out-landed Harper. Though there weren’t any flashy moments or high-octane drama, the scores did the talking: 80-72 and 79-73 2x in favor of Vianello.
