Janibek Alimkhanuly Eyes Vacant WBO Super Middleweight Title as Path to Canelo
Janibek Alimkhanuly sees the vacant WBO 168-pound belt as his ticket to a superfight with Canelo Alvarez, but knows he needs a statement knockout to get there.
Janibek Alimkhanuly has a plan, and it runs straight through the vacant WBO super middleweight title and into a ring with Canelo Alvarez. The Kazakh knockout artist is positioning himself for a shot at the belt after Hamzah Sheeraz vacated his WBO title, and he is making it clear that simply winning will not be enough.
Alimkhanuly, who has unified titles at middleweight, believes a violent finish in his super middleweight debut is the only way to generate the fan demand needed to force a Canelo fight into existence. "Brother, why not Janibek vs Canelo?" he posted on X on September 21, per Boxing News 24.
The path to that fight got slightly more complicated when Queensberry Productions won the purse bid for Alimkhanuly's originally ordered bout against Sheeraz with a bid of $1,001,809, only for Sheeraz to vacate the title afterward. The WBO now must select a new challenger. Leading candidates include Diego Pacheco and Jacob Bank, with Pacheco considered the toughest test given his 6-foot-4 frame, reach, power, and natural super middleweight experience.
Alimkhanuly has shown no hesitation about the challenge. "Everyone knows I'm not interested in the money. I'm ready," he posted on September 18. His willingness to fight anyone in the division contrasts with the careful matchmaking that often defines the super middleweight landscape.
The question is whether a statement win at 168 pounds would actually move the needle with Canelo's team. Alvarez operates on his own timeline and typically selects opponents based on a combination of marketability and manageable risk. Alimkhanuly offers danger but not the pay-per-view numbers that drive Canelo's decision-making. A spectacular knockout of Pacheco or Bank would change that calculus, which is exactly why Janibek knows nothing less will do.
Janibek is doing everything right and I still do not think he gets Canelo. He unified at middleweight, he moved up when Sheeraz vacated, he says he does not care about the money and he will fight anyone. That is a real fighter. The problem is Canelo does not pick opponents based on who is a real fighter. He picks based on who sells and who is manageable, and Janibek is dangerous without the pay-per-view numbers.
That is why the plan makes sense even if the target is unrealistic. Go get the vacant WBO belt with a violent knockout, preferably over Pacheco, and make yourself impossible to ignore. Pacheco is 6-foot-4 with real power and he has been ducking exactly this kind of fight, so that matchup would answer a lot of questions about both guys.
My honest read: Janibek wins the belt, looks great, and still waits. But the belt is worth having either way.
