Top Rank: Janibek vs. Dignum for WBO Interim Middleweight Title in Battle of Unbeatens

Live Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+
Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring vs. Jamaine Ortiz in Lightweight Co-Feature
Tiger Johnson vs. Agustin Kucharski in a Special Welterweight Feature
Someone will lose a fight for the first time when Janibek Alimkhanuly and Danny Dignum square off for the interim WBO Middleweight title in the main event Saturday, May 21, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The fight card, promoted by Top Rank, will be shown live from Resorts World Event Center at Resorts World Las Vegas.
A 29-year-old from Kazakhstan, Janibek (as he is known; 11-0, 7 KOs) has been hoping for a big fight, and this is his chance to prove he deserves a shot at the division’s best. Facing Dignum (14-0-1, 8 KOs), a 30-year-old lefty from England, gives him that opportunity.
The co-feature pits 2012 U.S. Olympian, former WBO junior lightweight champion and U.S. Martine veteran Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) versus Jamaine Ortiz (15-0-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight matchup. Kicking off the main card is 2020 U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (3-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round welterweight special feature against Agustin Kucharski.
Joe Tessitore will call the action, working with 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and future Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley Jr. as analyst. Mark Kriegel will serve as a reporter along with Marly Rivera, who is making her debut in the role.
Undercard on ESPN+
An eight-bout undercard streaming on ESPN+ will begin at 5:15 p.m. ET / 2:15 p.m. PT.
Feature | Adam Lopez vs. William Encarnacion |
Undercard | Karlos Balderas vs. Ruben Cervera |
Undercard | Jessie Magdaleno vs. Edy Valencia Mercado |
Undercard | Duke Ragan vs. Victorino Gonzalez |
Swing | Charlie Sheehy vs. Burnell Jenkins |
Swing | Giovanni Cabrera vs. Elias Araujo |
Swing | Kasir Goldston vs. Yaniel Alvarez |
Undercard | Steven Nelson vs. Louis Rose |
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