01-12-2024, 06:32 PM
Andrei Mikhailovich 'frustrated as hell' as injury curse strikes again to delay world title quest
Sam Wilson
17:00, Jan 12 2024
Andrei Mikhailovich hasn't fought since halting Venezuela's Edisson Saltarin in the fifth round last April.
A “frustrated as hell” Andrei Mikhailovich must be wondering if he'll ever catch a break.
For the past six months, the unbeaten Kiwi middleweight has been waiting patiently to fight in a final eliminator to determine the next challenger for the IBF world title held by Kazakhstan's Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs).
Ranked fourth with the IBF, Mikhailovich (20-0, 12 KOs) was slated to face No 3-ranked Denis Radovan (17-0-1, 8 KOs) on December 16 in Sunderland, England, only for the German to pull out at the 11th hour, citing an injury.
Radovan's late withdrawal saw the IBF lose patience with him and order Mikhailovich to take on the next available contender in their rankings.
That was Mexican-American Elijah Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs) a 20-year-old prodigy from Phoenix, Arizona who has set himself the bold target of becoming world champion by the age of 21.
Elijah Garcia was next in line to fight Andrei Mikhailovich before sustaining an injury in training camp.
Mikhailovich's promoter Dean Lonergan swiftly opened talks with Garcia's representatives, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), with a view to arranging a bout in late March or early April in the United States.
Matters may have been complicated somewhat by PBC inking a fresh broadcast deal with Amazon Prime after the end of their contract with US network Showtime, but Lonergan remained hopeful a deal could be struck in a timely fashion.
“We were supposed to have a deal done at the end of Christmas, but of course at Christmas, everyone goes on holiday, including myself,” Lonergan said.
“So I asked for an extension from the IBF to get the deal done.”
But there would be no deal struck in the end as in an unfortunate turn of events, Lonergan received a call from Garcia's promoter this week informing him their fighter had been injured in training and wouldn't be available for a March date, leaving the Russian-born Mikhailovich out in the cold once more.
Lonergan anticipated the IBF would go down its rankings to find another adversary, but in a surprise move, the New Jersey-based alphabet body opted to reinstate his original opponent.
“They told us a few days ago that Garcia was out, and they said the next day that Radovan was back in, so we are in discussions with Wasserman [Radovan's promoter] right now to secure a date as quickly as we can,” Lonergan explained, calling the back-and-forth saga “an exercise in frustration”.
Still, the veteran promoter was pleased to have Radovan back in Mikhailovich's crosshairs as he believes he's an easier proposition than Garcia and someone the Aucklander beats “every day of the week”.
“Andrei Mikhailovich is a very special fighter. He's a very good-looking young man, he's fantastic in the media, he's a unique and different personality and he's got a great backstory,” Lonergan said of the charismatic 26-year-old, who was rescued from a St Petersburg orphanage as a toddler.
“But most importantly, since he teamed up with [trainer] Isaac Peach, he's learned a very aggressive style of fighting. He comes to fight and he's a great entertainer.
“He showed in his last fight (a fifth-round TKO of Venezuela's Edisson Saltarin in April) when he got put on his arse and got straight back up and back into the fight that he's got plenty of toughness about him.
“I think Andrei is going to be a very big star, not only in New Zealand but internationally.”
Lonergan said that “in a perfect world” the rescheduled bout would take place in the UK in late March to give Mikhailovich enough time to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.
He added that while Mikhailovich had been annoyed by his lack of activity, he also understood the “process we are going through”.
“We've sat him down, Isaac and myself have taken him through the rules and said 'this is how it works, I'm as frustrated as you are'.
“But the whole point of Andrei fighting, and Jerome [Pampellone] fighting and Mea [Motu] fighting is to become world champions. Andrei has a real opportunity in front of him to fight for a world title, he just has to win one more fight.”
Meanwhile, another of Lonergan's fighters, Lani Daniels, has been forced to vacate one of her two world titles.
Daniels (10-2-2, 1 KO) made history in December when she captured the IBF light heavyweight belt with a split decision victory over Desley Robinson to become a two-weight world champion.
It came just seven months after the 35-year-old picked up the vacant IBF heavyweight crown by outpointing Alrie Meleisea.
But now Daniels has been ordered by the IBF to relinquish one of her belts, since the organsation does not permit fighters to hold world titles in two different weight divisions simultaneously.
Lonergan said the news “came as no surprise” with Daniels and her trainer John Conway choosing to give up her heavyweight championship and “chase the bigger fights down lower”.
“Lani is naturally probably a super middleweight, or maybe even a middleweight, and has been fighting well above her weight class,” he said.
Daniels is expected to meet Robinson in a rematch at light heavyweight later this year before moving down to the super middleweight division.
Sam Wilson
17:00, Jan 12 2024
Andrei Mikhailovich hasn't fought since halting Venezuela's Edisson Saltarin in the fifth round last April.
A “frustrated as hell” Andrei Mikhailovich must be wondering if he'll ever catch a break.
For the past six months, the unbeaten Kiwi middleweight has been waiting patiently to fight in a final eliminator to determine the next challenger for the IBF world title held by Kazakhstan's Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs).
Ranked fourth with the IBF, Mikhailovich (20-0, 12 KOs) was slated to face No 3-ranked Denis Radovan (17-0-1, 8 KOs) on December 16 in Sunderland, England, only for the German to pull out at the 11th hour, citing an injury.
Radovan's late withdrawal saw the IBF lose patience with him and order Mikhailovich to take on the next available contender in their rankings.
That was Mexican-American Elijah Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs) a 20-year-old prodigy from Phoenix, Arizona who has set himself the bold target of becoming world champion by the age of 21.
Elijah Garcia was next in line to fight Andrei Mikhailovich before sustaining an injury in training camp.
Mikhailovich's promoter Dean Lonergan swiftly opened talks with Garcia's representatives, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), with a view to arranging a bout in late March or early April in the United States.
Matters may have been complicated somewhat by PBC inking a fresh broadcast deal with Amazon Prime after the end of their contract with US network Showtime, but Lonergan remained hopeful a deal could be struck in a timely fashion.
“We were supposed to have a deal done at the end of Christmas, but of course at Christmas, everyone goes on holiday, including myself,” Lonergan said.
“So I asked for an extension from the IBF to get the deal done.”
But there would be no deal struck in the end as in an unfortunate turn of events, Lonergan received a call from Garcia's promoter this week informing him their fighter had been injured in training and wouldn't be available for a March date, leaving the Russian-born Mikhailovich out in the cold once more.
Lonergan anticipated the IBF would go down its rankings to find another adversary, but in a surprise move, the New Jersey-based alphabet body opted to reinstate his original opponent.
“They told us a few days ago that Garcia was out, and they said the next day that Radovan was back in, so we are in discussions with Wasserman [Radovan's promoter] right now to secure a date as quickly as we can,” Lonergan explained, calling the back-and-forth saga “an exercise in frustration”.
Still, the veteran promoter was pleased to have Radovan back in Mikhailovich's crosshairs as he believes he's an easier proposition than Garcia and someone the Aucklander beats “every day of the week”.
“Andrei Mikhailovich is a very special fighter. He's a very good-looking young man, he's fantastic in the media, he's a unique and different personality and he's got a great backstory,” Lonergan said of the charismatic 26-year-old, who was rescued from a St Petersburg orphanage as a toddler.
“But most importantly, since he teamed up with [trainer] Isaac Peach, he's learned a very aggressive style of fighting. He comes to fight and he's a great entertainer.
“He showed in his last fight (a fifth-round TKO of Venezuela's Edisson Saltarin in April) when he got put on his arse and got straight back up and back into the fight that he's got plenty of toughness about him.
“I think Andrei is going to be a very big star, not only in New Zealand but internationally.”
Lonergan said that “in a perfect world” the rescheduled bout would take place in the UK in late March to give Mikhailovich enough time to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.
He added that while Mikhailovich had been annoyed by his lack of activity, he also understood the “process we are going through”.
“We've sat him down, Isaac and myself have taken him through the rules and said 'this is how it works, I'm as frustrated as you are'.
“But the whole point of Andrei fighting, and Jerome [Pampellone] fighting and Mea [Motu] fighting is to become world champions. Andrei has a real opportunity in front of him to fight for a world title, he just has to win one more fight.”
Meanwhile, another of Lonergan's fighters, Lani Daniels, has been forced to vacate one of her two world titles.
Daniels (10-2-2, 1 KO) made history in December when she captured the IBF light heavyweight belt with a split decision victory over Desley Robinson to become a two-weight world champion.
It came just seven months after the 35-year-old picked up the vacant IBF heavyweight crown by outpointing Alrie Meleisea.
But now Daniels has been ordered by the IBF to relinquish one of her belts, since the organsation does not permit fighters to hold world titles in two different weight divisions simultaneously.
Lonergan said the news “came as no surprise” with Daniels and her trainer John Conway choosing to give up her heavyweight championship and “chase the bigger fights down lower”.
“Lani is naturally probably a super middleweight, or maybe even a middleweight, and has been fighting well above her weight class,” he said.
Daniels is expected to meet Robinson in a rematch at light heavyweight later this year before moving down to the super middleweight division.