Callum Johnson vs Igor Mikhalkin Preview July 2nd, 2022
England’s Callum Johnson will be defending his WBO Global Light Heavyweight Title at Wembley Arena in London this Saturday, July 2nd when he takes on former IBO Champion Igor Mikhalkin of Russia. The 10-round bout can be seen live in the UK on BT Sport 1. Johnson last fought in October when he beat Server Emurlaev by 10-round majority decision while Mikhalkin last boxed in September when he was stopped in the seventh round by Mathieu Bauderlique in a shot at the vacant EBU European Title.
Johnson vs Mikhalkin Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Igor Mikhalkin +500
- Callum Johnson -800
My Pick
The 36-year-old Johnson hails from Boston, Lincolnshire and enters the contest with a record of 20-1 with 14 Kos. His lone pro loss came at the hands of Artur Beterbiev when he was outclassed and outgunned and stopped in the fourth round in 2018 in a shot at the IBF Light Heavyweight Title. Johnson’s now facing a more suitable opponent for his talents in Mikhalkin.
Johnson has boxed just 73 rounds since turning pro back in 2010. Before that he had a fine amateur career and won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Since turning pro he’s also won the Commonwealth Boxing Council, and the British Light Heavyweight Titles. He won the vacant Global Light Heavyweight Belt by stopping Emil Markic in the second round in April, 2021.
Johnson possesses pretty good power in his hands with a current knockout ratio of 66.7 per cent and has a decent enough chin to go with it. He’s stands under six-feet-tall with a 73-inch reach and although he owns decent boxing skills and power, he isn’t really a legitimate world title contender these days. Johnson’s biggest wins have been against the likes of Frank Buglioni and Sean Monaghan.
The 37-year-old Germany-based Mikhalkin will climb through the ring ropes with a 24-3 record with 11 Ko’s. The southpaw won the vacant IBO Title by beating Thomas Oosthuizen via unanimous decision in May, 2017. He defended it once by unanimous decision over Doudou Ngumbu before losing it to WBO Champion Sergey Kovalev by way of seventh-round stoppage in March, 2018.
His first defeat came at the hands of Aleksy Kuziemski via a 10-round unanimous decision back in May, 2010 and of course he was stopped by Bauderlique in his last outing in September. Mikhalkin turned pro in 2007 and has boxed 181 rounds since then. He’s also a former European Champion but doesn’t have much in the way of power with a current knockout ratio of 40.7 per cent.
In addition, he was was stripped of his European Title for failing a drug test in 2016 and banned from the sport for two years. Mikhalkin is 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 75-inch reach which gives him a 1.5-inch height advantage and a two-inch edge in reach on Johnson. He’s an aggressive boxer with good mobility, combination punching ability and likes to go to the body.
Prediction…
This could be a fun fight to watch since both Johnson and Mikhalkin don’t mind brawling and have enough power to cause damage. They both come to fight no matter how limited their skills may be and this fight will likely be decided by power and the ability to take a punch. It’s a close call but I think Johnson should be able to do enough to pull out a win here on Saturday night.
Johnson’s a bit younger and more powerful.
Play: Johnson -800 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Callum Johnson betting • Igor Mikhalkin betting
unfortunately the fight was cancelled