Adames wants Alimkhanuly fight 'as soon as possible'

WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames says a fight with Janibek Alimkhanuly has become personal and he wants it booked immediately.

Adames told DAZN's "Inside The Ring" that Alimkhanuly has threatened him outside the ring and now needs to back up his words. "It's something really personal because he has said he's going to hurt me outside of the ring, and I would like for him to prove that he can do everything he says inside the ring," Adames said, per The Ring.

Alimkhanuly suspension complicates timeline

Alimkhanuly tested positive for Meldonium in a VADA sample last year, wiping out a December unification with Erislandy Lara. The WBO handed him a one-year suspension and the IBF stripped him of its title. He reportedly cannot defend his WBO belt until the suspension lifts, though the WBO ban does not prevent him from boxing elsewhere.

Adames returned from a 13-month layoff last month to retain his belt with a lopsided decision over Austin Williams. The Dominican dropped Williams in the second and came close to stopping him multiple times down the stretch. Adames has floated names from 154 to 168, including a rematch with Hamzah Sheeraz after their controversial draw in February, but Alimkhanuly clearly tops the list.

"I believe that fight should be made as soon as possible," Adames said. "I'm ready to take that fight against him whenever." He added that he considers himself stronger and more skilled than the unbeaten Kazakh southpaw.

Source: ringmagazine.com