Janibek’s 2025 Unification Bid: Targeting Adames And Lara Before A Potential Canelo Fight

Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) mapped out his plans for this year, targeting unification fights against middleweight champions Carlos Adames and Erislandy Lara to achieve his goal of becoming undisputed champ. Then in 2026, Janibek says he’ll move up to challenge Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed champion at super middleweight.

Negotiation Hurdles

If Janibek fails to get the fights against Adames and Erislandy this year, he should consider cutting his losses and move up to 168 right away to put himself in position to fight Canelo. If Terence Crawford gets his hands on the four belts at super middleweight, he’ll never agree to fight Janibek because he’s not popular enough.

The 2016 Olympian Alimkhnuly has no significant wins on his nine-year pro resume. Still, Janibek can make more money at super middleweight than in the dead, barren 160-lb weight class. He’d still be better off moving up now if he can’t get a unification clash against Adames or Lara next.

IBF and WBO middleweight champion Alimkhanuly and WBC champ Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) are reportedly in negotiations. They’ve been mentioned as potentially fighting on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios card on July 19th, on the PBC PPV card in Las Vegas. If the fight gets made, Janibek vs. Adames would be an excellent addition to the event and could easily outshine that clash.

Janibek’s promoters at Top Rank may have problems negotiating a fight with WBA champion Erislandy Lara (31-3-3,19 KOs), because he’s not taken a risky battle in 11 years since his fight against Canelo Alvarez in 2014. At 42, Lara might be unwilling to take on a dangerous puncher like the southpaw Alimkhnuly unless the money is absurdly high.

Lara might feel it’s better to hold onto his WBA title, and continue to make low-level title defenses against fighters like Danny Garcia, Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan, and Michael Zefera. The Cuban southpaw Erislandy’s opposition since capturing the WBA 160-lb title in May 2021 has been embarrassingly bad. It might take a goldmine for Lara to break from this mold of taking easy opposition to face the much younger and powerful Janibek in a unification.

Limited Opposition 

Janibek, 32, hasn’t exactly been fighting great opposition either. In his last four fights, he’s feasted on these easy marks:

– Anauel Ngamissengue
– Andrei Mikhailovich
– Vincenzo Gualtieri
– Steven Butler

This year, I’m taking Carlos down and grabbing my third title. Then I’ll retire Lara. And in May next year, I’m stepping in with Canelo to become the undisputed champion of both divisions! Inshallah! pic.twitter.com/PajjlzjXSB

— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) May 9, 2025