The bout between Azinga Fuzile and Sultan Zaurbek is set for the undercard of Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Anauel Ngamissengue. The event takes place at Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 5. The pair square off in a 10-round matchup at super featherweight.
Azinga Fuzile (18-2, 12 KOs) secured three victories inside the distance since dropping a unanimous decision against Kenichi Ogawa for the IBF 130-pound title in November 2021. In his previous outing last August, the 28-year-old southpaw from South Africa defeated Sebastianus Natanael via sixth-round TKO.
“This is a smash-and-grab opportunity for me,” Azinga Fuzile said. “It has come at a great time in my career where there are no distractions – the only focus is becoming a world champion.”
Undefeated Sultan Zaurbek (19-0, 13 KOs) from Kazakhstan stepped through the ropes three times in 2024. The 28-year-old southpaw is coming off a win by unanimous decision against Damian Wrzesinski last December.
“I’m very excited to be fighting in Kazakhstan again for the first time in four years,” Sultan Zaurbek said. “Thank you, Nomad Promotions and Wasserman, for this opportunity. This is the biggest fight of my career, and I respect Fuzile, but I want to prove I belong at world level. April 5 in Astana is the next step on my journey to a world title, and I promise a big performance for all the Kazakh people.”
Also confirmed for the Janibek vs Ngamissengue undercard is a 10-round super lightweight bout between Batyrzhan Jukembayev and Kane Gardner.
33-year-old Batyrzhan Jukembayev (23-1, 17 KOs) makes his home country ring appearance after three successful outings in the U.S. In his previous bout last April, the Montreal, Quebec-based contender stopped Ivan Redkach in the fifth round in Plant City, FL.
Making his international debut, British Kane Gardner (17-4, 7 KOs) looks to bounce back from a defeat via points against Reece MacMillan last November. Last June, the 29-year-old scored a points decision over Jamie Robinson.
Atop the fight card, Janibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) from Kazakhstan faces Congolese-French Anauel Ngamissengue (14-0, 9 KOs). Oxnard, California-based Alimkhanuly puts his unified IBF and WBO middleweight titles on the line.
“Kazakh Style is finally coming home,” Janibek Alimkhanuly said. “April 5 will be a memorable night as I defend my WBO and IBF world titles against a top opponent. Many fighters turned down this opportunity, so I credit Anauel for accepting the challenge. My goal is to become the undisputed champion, and Anauel is in my way. The fans in Kazakhstan and everyone watching worldwide will see something special.”
In the U.S., the event airs live on ESPN+.