Kazakh middleweight world boxing champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) has made a statement about a potential fight with Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs), reports the “Adyrna” national portal.
The holder of the IBF and WBO titles, Alimkhanuly mentioned that the Mexican champion has refused to fight him for the championship belt.
“Everyone knows that I want to fight Canelo, but he doesn’t want to fight me, and everyone knows that,” Alimkhanuly said on social media.
It’s worth noting that the two boxers compete in different weight classes: Alimkhanuly fights in the middleweight division (up to 72.5 kg), while Canelo competes in super middleweight (up to 76.2 kg). Previously, fans have suggested a face-off between the two fighters, with some believing Canelo would be the favorite.
Janibek Alimkhanuly began his professional career in 2016 and won the WBO middleweight world title in his 11th fight. In October 2023, Alimkhanuly secured the IBF belt by defeating Germany’s Vincenzo Gualtieri via technical knockout. In his fight against Mikhailovich, Alimkhanuly successfully defended his title for the first time, marking his 16th victory in 16 fights.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his professional debut in 2005. Since then, the Mexican has won multiple titles across various weight divisions and became the undisputed super middleweight world champion (76.2 kg). He is well-known to Kazakh fans as the rival of Gennadiy Golovkin, with whom he had a trilogy of fights between 2017 and 2022. Their first fight ended in a draw, while Canelo won the second and third bouts. In his most recent fight on September 15, Canelo defeated American Edgar Berlanga by decision, retaining his WBC, WBA, and WBO titles.
