IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly says he’s interested in fighting a unification match against WBA champ Erislandy Lara next.
Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs) has come up empty with his hopes of getting fights against Hamzah Sheeraz, Chris Eubank Jr. and WBC champion Carlos Adames. None of those fighters have shown any desire to fight the 2016 Olympian Janibek, and it’s pretty obvious why. Janibek is the King of the division, and they know what they’d be up against fighting him.
The 41-year-old Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) may not want to fight Janibek either, as he’s got a good thing going, holding the WBA 160-lb title and defending it against soft opposition. Lara would be risking having these easy paydays evaporate if he lost his WBA title to Alimkhanuly.
A Match Made In Riyadh?
Without Turki Alalshikh stepping in to show interest in financing the Janibek vs. Lara fight for one of his Riyadh Season events, it won’t happen. Lara isn’t going to give up his WBA title by fighting Alimkhanuly and getting knocked out by him.
Although he’s not getting the mega-paydays that guys like Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga are receiving, Lara is still making good money by defending his WBA belt against middle-of-the-road opposition.
Lara’s Reign Of Easy Defenses
Lara captured his WBA 160-lb title on May 1, 2021, stopping Thomas LaManna in the first round. In the Cuban Erislandy’s three successful title defenses since, he’s beaten these fighters:
– Danny Garcia: RTD 9
– Michael Zerafa: TKO 2
– Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan: TKO8
The likelihood of the southpaw Lara agreeing to fight Janibek in a unification fight is mightily slim because he’s too old to be taking on a fighter of this caliber. Lara turns 42 on April 11, 2025, and he’s only holding on now due to the matchmaking that’s been done for him.
Erislandy hasn’t fought in a tough fight since his wars with Brian Castano and Jarrett Hurd, which took place in 2019 and 2018, which might as well have been a lifetime ago.
What do you think about Lara? Will he fight me? Or will he run away too?
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) December 17, 2024
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