Janibek Alimkhanuly, Erislandy Lara Agree To Dec. 6 Middleweight Title Unification
Mike Coppinger
Oct 13, 2025
1 min read
After several months of protracted negotiations, IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly will face a sizable jump in competition when facing WBA beltholder Erislandy Lara in a world title unification as part of a stacked December 6 card.
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.
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