Who Is Janibek Alimkhanuly, The Unified Middleweight Champion Going Under The Radar?
Of boxing’s 17 professional divisions, six of them currently have unified or undisputed world champions. Most of those title holders are household names destined for the Hall of Fame, yet there is one fighter who stands out among the present unified champions.
While Oleksandr Usyk (heavyweight), Artur Beterbiev (light-heavyweight), Canelo Alvarez (super-middleweight), Terence Crawford (welterweight), and Naoya Inoue (super-bantamweight) are among the biggest stars of the sport, less is known about unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0-0 10 KO).
That the Kazakhstani fighter is a unified champion in one of boxing’s eight glamor divisions makes his relative anonymity, at least compared to the other fighters mentioned above, even more unique.
So, as he prepares to make the first defense of his unified titles next month, here is all you need to know about Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Stellar Amateur Career And Perfect Pro Start
Alimkhanuly turned professional in October 2016 after a stellar amateur career. The southpaw, who was born in April 1993 and learned boxing from his father and grandfather from the age of six, represented Kazakhstan at the top level of the amateur game.
He won middleweight gold at the 2013 World Championships and Asian Championships, before collecting another gold at the Asian Games in 2014. Alimkhanuly fought for his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, reaching the quarter-finals, and turned professional a few months later.
‘Qazaq Style’ lived up to his alias on his pro debut by securing a first-round knockout, and after two bouts in his homeland, relocated to California where he is still based.
Alimkhanuly secured his first belts in his sixth fight, winning the vacant WBC Continental Americas and WBO Global middleweight titles with a points win over Cristian Olivas in April 2019.
The first big victory of his career came in his 11th fight when he took on former two-time middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in November 2021. Alimkhanuly claimed his fifth straight stoppage to defeat the Cameroonian to put himself in world title contention.
After claiming the WBO’s interim middleweight title in his next fight with a second-round knockout over the previously unbeaten Danny Dignum, Alimkhanuly was later elevated to full champion when Demetrius Andrade vacated to move up to super-middleweight.
In November 2022, he proved worthy of the belt by comfortably beating Denzel Bentley and followed that with a second-round stoppage of Steven Butler. That earned Alimkhanuly a unification bout against IBF champion Vincenzo Gualtieri in December. The Kazakh dominated Gualtieri until he stopped the German in the sixth round.
The unified champion, who is promoted by Top Rank, will make the first defense of his two titles against unbeaten New Zealander Andrei Mikhailovich on July 13 in Las Vegas.
Fighting Style Of Alimkhanuly
For a fighter whose foundations come from a successful amateur background, it’s no surprise that Alimkhanuly has excellent fundamentals. The jab leads everything and he uses faints and sets traps to great effect.
The Kazakh punches from various angles and with precision and speed, making him particularly dangerous on the counter, while his ability to control range, both in defense and offense, is arguably his biggest strength. And of course, he carries power. Alimkhanuly wouldn’t be described as a knockout artist, but he throws enough hurtful shots in accurate combinations to stop opponents.
Alimkhanuly’s tools were sharpened by working for much of his career with trainer James ‘Buddy’ McGirt, who trained the likes of Arturo Gatti, Antonio Tarver, and Sergey Kovalev. He ended his partnership with McGirt before his bout with Gualtieri to begin working with former two-weight world champion Brian Viloria. It’s a partnership that appears to be working so far.
What’s Next For Alimkhanuly?
The immediate focus is on July 13 and his first unification title defense against Mikhailovich (21-0-0 13 KO) – a capable opponent but someone Alimkhanuly is expected to beat comfortably.
Assuming he wins and retains his titles, there are several exciting bouts to be made at 160lbs. Hamzah Sheeraz, the highly touted British contender, is ranked No 1 by the WBO, so he could be made a mandatory challenger. That fight would certainly capture the interest of British fight fans.
Another British fighter Alimkhanuly had been in talks to fight was Chris Eubank Jr but ultimately talks collapsed. Shane Moseley Jr and Austin Williams are other opponents that could make for interesting bouts. There are also unification fights as possibilities against WBC champion Carlos Adames and WBA champion Erislandy Lara.
Whichever way Alimkhanuly goes after his fight with Mikhailovich, there are many options that would boost his profile, help move him into the mainstream, and earn the attention his status as a middleweight world champion deserves.
