![Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Steven Butler 20230516 [1296x729]](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2023/0516/r1173949_1296x729_16-9.jpg)
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Saturday in Liverpool, England, Nick Ball defends his WBA featherweight world title against Ronny Rios at the Echo Arena (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET).
Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs), of Liverpool, challenged for the WBC featherweight title against Ray Vargas in March, but the fight ended in a split draw. Three months later, on June 1, Ball defeated Raymond Ford by split decision to win the WBA belt. He will make his first defense against Rios.
Rios (34-4, 17 KOs), of Compton, California, has challenged for the junior featherweight title twice, both losses, to Vargas in 2017 and Murodjon Akhmadaliev in 2022. He's coming off a fifth-round KO of Nicolas Polanco back in April.
Where can I watch the Ball vs. Rios fight card?The Ball vs. Rios fight card will air Saturday on ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET.
Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV
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How do I stream the fights?The fights will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.
Full Ball vs. Rios fight card:
Title fight: Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios, 12 rounds, for Ball's WBA featherweight title Jack Rafferty vs. Henry Turner, 12 rounds, for the British junior welterweight title Jack Turner vs. Gonzalo Corinaldesi, 6 rounds, bantamweights Jadier Herrera vs. Oliver Flores, 10 rounds, lightweights Walter Fury vs. Dale Arrowsmith, 4 rounds, junior middleweights Andrew Cain vs. Lazaro Casseres, 12 rounds, bantamweights Joe Cooper vs. Lukasz Barabasz, 4 rounds, middleweights Alimkhanuly stops Mikhailovich, retains IBF middleweight titleJanibek Alimkhanuly defended his IBF middleweight title with a ninth-round TKO victory over Andrei Mikhailovich on Friday at The Star Sydney in Pyrmont, Australia.
The fight ended after Alimkhanuly landed two consecutive left uppercuts that sent Mikhailovich stumbling backward, forcing referee Katsuhiko Nakamura to stop the bout 2:45 minutes into the round.
Alimkhanuly hurt Mikhailovich with the same punch in Round 2 and scored a knockdown at the sound of the bell, but Mikhailovich recovered. From there, it was just a matter of time, with Alimkhanuly finding separation and landing his left hand often against the pressure of Mikhailovich.
After the fight, Alimkhanuly said he would like to unify the titles against the other two champions.
"I do have two titles, and the [other] two titles are missing," Alimkhanuly said. "Any of them, [Carlos] Adames or [Erislandy] Lara, I'm ready. Anytime, whatever, send me a paper. I'll send it anytime."
The fight was originally scheduled for July 13 in Las Vegas, but two days before that date, Alimkhanuly fainted while trying to make weight and was taken to the hospital and forced to withdraw with severe dehydration.
Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs), of Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, but now living and training in Oxnard, California, won the WBO middleweight title with a unanimous-decision victory over Denzel Bentley in November 2022. He made one defense in May 2023, a second-round KO of Steve Butler, before dispatching Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds in October last year to add the IBF title. The WBO title wasn't on the line against Mikhailovich.
Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KOs) is a power puncher with long arms (74½ inches) from Auckland, New Zealand. He had won seven of his past eight fights by stoppage before losing to Alimkhanuly.
Mikhailovich was born in Russia but relocated to New Zealand after he and his brother were adopted.
Where can I watch the Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich fight card replay?The Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich fight card replay can be streamed on ESPN+.
Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV
Don't have ESPN? Learn how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com
Alimkhanuly vs. Mikhailovich fight card results:
Title fight: Janibek Alimkhanuly defeated Andrei Mikhailovich by ninth-round KO to retain the IBF middleweight title Mea Motu defeated Shannon O'Connell by TKO4 in a women's featherweight bout Charlie Kazzi defeated Lui Magaiva by TKO7 in a lightweight bout Ahmed Reda defeated Joe Kara by TKO 2 in a lightweight bout Top stories: How Andrei Mikhailovich's past is helping him get to the top Nick Ball claims first world title with win over Raymond Ford
