On October 4, 2024, a 26-year-old Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) got a shot at the middleweight IBF title held by 31-year-old Kazakhstani boxer Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs).
Mikhailovich came in to the fight on a 21-fight win streak with a 61% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 5 months and 10 days. Alimkhanuly was on a 15-fight win streak with a 66% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 11 months and 20 days.
Janibek Alimkhanuly stopped Andrei Mikhailovich via TKO in the 9th round of the 12-round world-title fight, and successfully defended his IBF middleweight title. Alimkhanuly improves his record to 16-0 (11 KOs), while Mikhailovich adds a loss to his record at 21-1.