Janibek Alimkhanuly and Erislandy Lara are set to square off on December 6 in a high-stakes middleweight title unification matchup.

The winner between the WBO and IBF champion Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) and WBA middleweight titleholder Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) will carry significant cards to entice Terence Crawford for a potential clash sometime next year.

Fresh off a career-best win against Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion Crawford appears to be inclined to make a run at 160 pounds in pursuit of titles in a sixth weight class.

Alimkhanuly manager Egis Klimas connected with Crawford this week at the WBO Convention in Bogota, Colombia, and shared a video seated next to the sport’s pound-for-pound top star, who made a bold statement directed toward the middleweight division.

"I got my eyes on you, Janibek. Good luck," said Crawford, as he pointed to his eyes and made a fist.

Alimkhanuly responded to Crawford on social media: "Thank you bro."

Alimkhanuly is expected to emerge as the winner against Lara, according to oddsmakers. The Kazakhstani is a minus-480 betting favorite to beat the 42-year-old Cuban southpaw, who's listed as a plus-330 underdog, per FanDuel.

The KO artist Alimkhanuly, 32, has scored four consecutive stoppage wins, albeit against inferior opposition. He’s The Ring’s No. 1-rated fighter at 160 pounds.

The experienced, but aging Lara will be the toughest opponent of Alimkhanuly's career. Lara has not lost since 2018 and is riding a six-fight winning streak, four of which have come by knockout.

The other champion in the middleweight division is WBC belt holder Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs). (The Ring title is vacant.)

Crawford might prefer that Adames face the winner of Alimkhanuly and Lara in the first half of 2026, and for him to be in a prime position to challenge the last man standing with the intent to become a four-division undisputed champion.

"He doesn’t need to fight Adames," said Alimkhanuly. "I’ll beat both Lara and Adames, take all four belts, and then [Crawford] can take his time and get ready to fight me. ... On December 6, put on your sunglasses, because I’ll be shining in the ring."

The IBF could complicate matters moving forward, however. Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn recently revealed that the winner of Alimkhanuly-Lara will be ordered by the IBF to fight Austin Williams, with no exceptions.