‘Gonna f***ing kill you’: Tensions overflow at fiery press conference ahead of Alimkhanuly v Mikhailovic fight
Janibek Alimkhanuly’s manager has slammed No Limit, claiming the promoter used underhanded tactics in an attempt to derail Janibek’s world title defence, as tensions boiled over at the press conference.
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Janibek Alimkhanuly’s seething manager has slammed No Limit, claiming the promoter has employed underhanded tactics in a desperate attempt at derailing Janibek’s IBF middleweight world title defence against Andrei Mikhailovich in Sydney this Friday.
Powerful manager Egis Klimas’ claims come as Janibek’s team and Mikhailovich’s crew had to be physically separated after the New Zealander lobbed a death threat during a testy fight week press conference at Fox Studios in Atarmon on Wednesday.
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The ultra-confident Mikhailovich got into a shouting match with Klimas and with Janibek’s brother during the fiery press conference, at one stage saying: “I’m gonna f***ing kill you.”
Janibek’s brother then went face-to-face with Mikhailovich’s heavily tattooed trainer, Isaac Peach, moments after the presser ended. The pair threw insults back-and-forth with the encounter threatening to turn physical, before Mikhailovich and Peach were escorted out of the studio.
“Watch yourself, bitch,” Mikhailovich said as he left, with Klimas replying: “We’ll see who’s the bitch.”
Klimas – who also manages Vasiliy Lomachenko, heavyweight kingpin Oleksandr Usyk and Tim Tszyu’s opponent Bakhram Murtazaliev – angrily hit back at Mikhailovich for calling Janibek “arrogant” for only arriving in Sydney two days before the fight.
Instead, he claims No Limit have used “disrespectful” tactics throughout the build-up.
“No Limit won the purse bid and announced the fight so quickly – 28, 29 days – and we had no time to prepare,” Klimas told this masthead. “In the middle of training, we had to deal with visa issues, so he left training – he lost days of training.
“We couldn’t afford to come here any earlier – there’s no reason to sit here for a week or two.
“They’re trying to push every single angle to use everything in their advantage. They’re trying to push us on every single subject – unification, short period to prepare, second day weigh in.”
As for Janibek’s thoughts on the supposedly dodgy tactics?
“More power to them,” the ice cold Kazakh told this masthead. “We’ll see on Friday.”
Janibek’s voice barely rose above a whisper as he kicked back with his brother and Klimas and spoke to this masthead before the presser.
There were no signs of the trouble he had making weight ahead of his first scheduled fight against Mikhailovich July. That bout was cancelled on just 24 hours’ notice when Janibek collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
“As you can see, if we had a problem, we wouldn’t be here,” he said, despite Mikhailovich calling Janibek’s team “a disgrace to boxing.”
The bluster and bravado was left to the globe-trotting Klimas – dubbed ‘Cookie Monster’ by Mikhailovich – who made his feelings known when this masthead asked if Janibek felt a little disrespected.
“Not a little, a lot. Big disrespect,” he fumed. “Especially with them knowing of his issues in July.
“He went to hospital, couldn’t go to the gym for six weeks. Then they announced that the fight was in 29 days and didn’t leave time to prepare.
“Is that disrespect? I’m gonna leave that to your audience. They can judge.
“A little or big disrespect? You decide.”
As if driving the point home, Team Janibek was left to wait for 45 minutes for their car to arrive at Fox Studios and take them to their hotel.
And what about Mikhailovich’s claims that arriving so close to the fight is “arrogant”?
Klimas doesn’t even put the question to his man. Instead he pauses, takes a breath, waits 10 seconds and says ominously: “I don’t think Mikhailovich is in a position to judge who is and who isn’t arrogant.
“He can judge after the fight.
“I’d like to see him talk about arrogance after the fight.”
Elsewhere, Klimas says he has been in contact with the WBO about a last minute bid to make the fight an IBF-WBO unification bout, thereby eliminating the contentious second day weigh-in.
At this stage, only Janibek’s IBF belt is on the line for Mikhailovich, meaning there will be a second weigh-in on the morning of the fight. Under IBF rules, fighters must not weigh more than 10 pounds over the limit on the morning of the bout.
“I’ve had personal communication with the WBO, who have no problem fighting for both titles,” Klimas told this masthead. “But then it has to be under unification rules, so no second day weigh-in.
“But if it’s IBF rules like No Limit says, then no problem. We’re prepared.”
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