Janibek Alimkhanuly To Face Erislandy Lara In A Unification

Janibek Alimkhanuly, the IBF and WBO middleweight champion, will face the WBA champ Erislandy Lara in a December 6 unification.

The fight will occur on the Isaac Cruz vs. Lamont Roach undercard in San Antonio, Texas. Alimkhanuly is a knockout artist, with a 17-0 record. 12 of his victories have come by way of knockout. He has stopped his last four opponents, the latest of which was against Anauel Ngamissengue in April. Alimkhanuly is a decade younger than Lara, who is 42, as he enters the bout as the favorite.

Lara, however, cannot be overlooked. Despite not having boxed in over a year, he stopped Danny Garcia in the ninth round in his last fight. Garcia is a former champion at 140 and 147, showing the magnitude of the win. The winner knows they are one belt away from undisputed, as Carlos Adames has the WBC title.

The Approach

Alimkhanuly will aim to impose his power and fast pace from the opening bell. His key strategy will be to cut off Lara’s escape routes using smart footwork and feints, trapping the slick Cuban against the ropes or in a corner. An example of this would be Janibek feinting aggressively toward Lara’s body to drop his guard, then immediately unleashing his powerful straight left hand over the top. Janibek’s southpaw stance can create awkward angles, making him a nightmare for defensive fighters.

Lara’s best path to victory is to turn the fight into a slow, tactical chess match, maximizing distance and minimizing contact. He will utilize constant lateral movement and subtle head movement, making himself an extremely difficult, elusive target. Despite his age, Lara proved he still has the power to command respect, as evidenced by his ninth-round TKO win over Danny Garcia. Lara will look to counter Janibek’s aggression with single-shot counters or a stiff lead right hook every time the Kazakh overcommits.