The middleweight division has its most important fight in years lined up.
The three-belt unification at 160lbs “is going to happen,” an official connected to the bout between WBO and IBF champion Janibek Alimkhanuly and WBA champion Erislandy Lara told BoxingScene Monday. The storied middleweight division has been home to countless legendary clashes over the years, but has been dormant following the departures of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin in the past half-decade. Alimkhanuly-Lara is arguably the most important fight at 160lbs since Alvarez-Golovkin II in 2018.
The fight will be staged as the co-main event to the December 6 140lbs interim WBC title fight between Mexico’s Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and WBA junior lightweight champion Lamont Roach Jnr in San Antonio.
Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly 17-0 (12 KOs) hasn’t fought since April, and the bout will be on the Premier Boxing Champions’ Prime Video/PPV.COM card as his promoter Top Rank awaits a new broadcast deal.
Cuba’s 42-year-old Lara, 31-3-3 (19 KOs), stopped former two-division champion Danny Garcia in September 2024, but hasn’t fought since. He's confident nonetheless: "Fighting Janibek Alimkhanuly should let the world know that at my age I continue to fight the best and defy the odds," Lara told BoxingScene via text. "This is a dangerous fight for both of us and we are both champs. It's gonna be a tremendous fight."
The winner would be positioned for a high-profile bout in 2026. Carlos Adames has the fourth belt at middleweight and could make an undisputed title fight. Or perhaps Terence Crawford, the new undisputed super middleweight champion, is tempted to fight for what would be a sixth division title.
Lara will be the most distinguished opponent on the resume of Alimkhanuly, 32, considering that Lara has fought Canelo Alvarez, Austin Trout, Jarrett Hurd and Brian Castano.
