Janibek Alimkhnuly predicts that by May 2026, he’ll be the undisputed champion at middleweight, and he’ll then face Terence Crawford in the “fall.”
For the current IBF and WBO 160-lb champion Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs) to realize his vision, he must first get past WBA champion Erislandy Lara on December 6th. Those two are fighting on the co-feature of the Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Lamont Roach fight on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Prime Video pay-per-view in San Antonio, Texas.
Cuban Trickster Threat
The Cuban Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is going to be a tricky riddle for Alimkhnuly, 32, to solve because he’s got the type of skills that he’s never faced as a pro. Janibek’s dream of capturing all four titles at 160 may end against Erislandy on December 6th.
What do you guys think about this? By next May, I’ll have all four belts. And if by then Crawford is still holding all four in his division, we’ll have a clash of two undisputed champions in the fall of 2026!
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) October 16, 2025
Adames Still Dodging Smoke
If the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Alimkhnuly is victorious against Lara, he would need to face WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames to win the final title he needs to become undisputed. Fans on social media are already predicting that Adames won’t agree to fight Janibek. He’s ignored him all this time, and he’s been calling him out for the last two years.
Crawford on the Horizon
The Crawford fight is obviously the one that Kazakhstan-born Alimkhanuly is seeking most of all, as it would be a giant payday, likely far bigger than any that he’s received during his nine-year professional career.
Granted, he’s not going to get the type of purses that Canelo Alvarez and Crawford got recently for their legacy fight last month on September 13th, but it would still be huge. It would allow Janibek to knock Terence down a peg and put himself in position for a rematch. Crawford is too prideful for him to walk away from a loss to Janibek without trying to avenge it.