Janibek Alimkhanuly and
Erislandy Lara have agreed to a middleweight title unification Dec. 6 in San Antonio, sources told
The Ring.
Alimkhanuly will put his IBF and WBO titles on the line while Lara risks his WBA belt. The 160-pound bout will take place on the undercard portion of a PBC show
headlined by Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach on Prime Video PPV.
Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly is
The Ring’s No. 1 middleweight while Lara was rated No. 3 before dropping out of the rankings for inactivity last month.
Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) is coming off a
fifth-round TKO of Anauel Ngamissengue in a homecoming title defense in April. Alimkhanuly, 32, has been a titleholder since 2022 but Lara will represent a sizable jump in competition.
Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is boxing’s oldest champion at 42. The Cuban stopped
Danny Garcia last September in his most-recent fight - his fourth consecutive win inside the distance.
WBC beltholder
Carlos Adames, who was
in talks to fight Alimkhanuly earlier this year, holds the other title at 160 pounds.
Mike Coppinger is The Ring’s senior insider. He co-hosts “Inside the Ring” every Monday with Max Kellerman. Follow him on X/Instagram: @MikeCoppinger.