A week ago, unified middleweight titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly was calling for a fight with the super middleweight king, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Now, just seven days later, it’s another titleholder in Alimkhanuly’s own division who he says is the sole opponent for him.

“I need that third title! Right now, I’m not interested in any other fight except for the one that gets me my third belt!” Alimkhanuly’s account on X posted on Monday. He soon added: “Carlos Adames, I told my manager you’re the only one I want to fight! Now it’s your turn. Talk to your team and let’s make this fight happen – no excuses, no delays. Let’s give the fans what they want!

Alimkhanuly is a 2016 Olympian who now holds the IBF and WBO titles at 160lbs. He won the WBO’s interim belt at 160lbs in May 2022, was upgraded later that year, and defeated Vincenzo Gualtieri in October 2023 to add the IBF title. 

In Alimkhanuly’s sole appearance of 2024, he took out Andrei Mikhailovich in nine rounds in October. Earlier this month, he knocked out his third straight unbeaten opponent, putting away Anauel Ngamissengue in five rounds in Alimkhanuly’s home country of Kazakhstan. He is now 17-0 (12 KOs).

Adames, 24-1-1 (18 KOs), won the interim WBC title in October 2022 with a third-round TKO of Juan Macias Montiel. He stopped Julian Williams in nine rounds in June 2023. Adames was upgraded to the full titleholder in May 2024 and made his first defense a month later, outpointing Terrell Gausha. In February, Adames was held to a controversial draw with Hamzah Sheeraz in a fight many observers felt belonged to the defending titleholder.

The fourth middleweight world title, the WBA belt, belongs to Erislandy Lara.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.