Will Janibek Alimkhanuly and Canelo Álvarez face each other?
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Alvarez now confronts a new challenger. As he prepares for his fight against Cuban William Scull in Saudi Arabia, a middleweight boxer has publicly requested a match against him in the ring.
This situation happens frequently. In fact, other boxers constantly challenge the super middleweight world champion, eager to prove their skills against the best.
Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly has already challenged the Mexican champion Canelo Alvarez several times this year. He even took to X (formerly Twitter) to demand the fight, writing: “Turki, give me Canelo, and you will see beautiful boxing—you will be surprised!”
In another message, he added: “If he’s ready, he’s ready—and you all know I am too! (…) Hot day, nerves for Canelo.”
Alimkhanuly constantly expresses his eagerness for this fight. He often steps into the ring with bold statements. For instance, after defeating Steve Butler, he declared: “Champions and boxing superstars, where are you? I’m waiting; let’s fight. I am the most avoided boxer. I am the king of the middleweight division. Let’s fight!”
Now, he has challenged Canelo once again for a future showdown. Some believe Canelo will eventually respond, but Alimkhanuly may have to wait up to two years since Canelo Alvarez currently follows the Riyadh Season contract. This deal includes four fights, starting with the upcoming bout against William Scull.
Janibek Alimkhanuly holds the title of unified middleweight champion. He competed in the Rio 2016 Olympics. The 31-year-old boxer secured the WBO title in 2022 and the IBF title in October 2023. On April 5, he will face French-Congolese Olympian Anauel Ngamissengue in Astana, Kazakhstan.