Janibek Alimkhanuly was initially bemused by Demetrius Andrade’s decision. After laying waste to his competition and working his way to becoming Andrade’s mandatory challenger for his WBO middleweight crown, the Kazakhstan star expected the Rhode Island native to take him up on his fight offer.

Yet, with Andrade deciding against facing off against Alimkhanuly and instead opting to move up in weight, Alimkhanuly, who held the interim crown, was officially elevated to full titleholder status.

While ecstatic, the 29-year-old power puncher has already set his sights on taking on one of the best middleweights in the world in his very next fight.  

“I want to fight (Jermall) Charlo and get the WBC title,” said Alimkhanuly on his social media account. “This will be pretty easy work! Everyone knows if I say easy work, it will be easy work.”

Charlo, 32, has held firm to his WBC middleweight title since 2019. In the process, the Houston native has registered four consecutive victories. Most recently, the pugnacious star recorded a unanimous decision win against the rough and rugged Juan Macias Montiel in June of 2021.

Ultimately, however, Charlo finds himself currently on the mend. In what was supposed to be a homecoming bout against Maciej Sulecki on June 18th, earlier this year, Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) was forced to withdraw from their showdown with a back injury.

Presently, it remains unclear when Charlo will return. That said, he has been spotted working diligently on his craft with trainer Ronnie Shields. Should he return to the ring sooner rather than later, Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8 KOs) would be more than willing to take him on next.

With only 12 bouts under his belt, Alimkhanuly’s career has been fast-tracked since turning pro in 2016. Still, regardless of his lack of in-ring experience, Alimkhanuly is convinced that not only will he violently put an end to Charlo’s middleweight title reign, but in due time, every champion will fall helplessly at his feet.

“I knocked out 2 former world champions and beat an undefeated boxer. I am world champion. I’ll knock out all champions! Who’s next?”