IBF/WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly has taken to social media to express his desire for additional titles. Can Janibek (15-0, 10 KOs) secure the opportunity to compete for the WBA and WBC titles, thus becoming the undisputed champion at 160 pounds?
Janibek’s lack of widespread recognition hinders the interest of promoters representing the other two middleweight champions. From a business standpoint, it simply doesn’t make sense.
Currently promoted by Top Rank, it remains uncertain whether they would arrange a fight between Janibek and either WBA champion Erislandy Lara or WBC champion Jermall Charlo.
At 30 years old, Janibek competes under a different network and promoter compared to Charlo and Lara. A unification bout between them would not generate significant attention from casual boxing fans due to the clash between different networks.
Top Rank is unlikely to be enthusiastic about sharing Janibek’s fight on Amazon Prime, as it would divide the audience for his unification match.
Janibek’s promoter, Bob Arum, probably wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea of his fight being broadcasted on Amazon Prime, despite the potential for Janibek to gain more recognition by winning those fights and becoming the undisputed champion.
Fans: Limited Options
– Mandatory Challenges: Janibek’s obligation to defend his IBF and WBO titles may hinder his progress towards unification.
– Fan Pressure: The demand for unification fights at 160 pounds needs to increase in order to put pressure on promoters to make those fights happen. However, there is currently no demand from fans to see Janibek face WBC champion Jermall Charlo or WBA belt-holder Erislandy Lara.
Janibek’s limited popularity among boxing fans contributes to the lack of pressure on promoters to arrange unification clashes at 168 pounds. One of the reasons for this is that Janibek hasn’t been active enough in the ring to build a substantial fan base, similar to what we saw with Gennadiy Golovkin in previous years.
Fighting only once or twice a year is insufficient, especially when coupled with a low social media presence like Janibek’s. To gain widespread recognition quickly, he would need to fight five or six times a year. However, this is impossible due to the limited number of dates on ESPN available to Top Rank.
According to the Source boxingnews24.com