Boxing’s influx of exceptional Eastern European and Central Asian talent shows no sign of letting up. A steady flow of future kings currently race towards world titles after only a handful of fights, while existing, unified champions also represent countries such as Ukraine and Uzbekistan. But tucked away in Oxnard, California, Kazakhstan’s next world champion is working in silence.
Reacting to the calm, controlled instructions of Hall of Fame fighter-turned-trainer Buddy McGirt, Janibek Alimkhanuly (8-0, 4 KOs) is poised to stride confidently into boxing’s centre stage. He’s been asking for everybody and, since turning professional, he has only tackled opponents with significant, winning records.
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
When speaking to Boxing Social, the fighter from Zhilandy confirmed that he wasn’t fighting to kill time or sharpen his patience. “I want to become a world champion in four weight categories,” he said. “I don’t want to be just a champion. I want to be a popular champion; I want to write my name into the history of boxing. I want all of the young boxers who are growing up training to copy my style of fighting – ‘Qazaq style’.
“These are not just words to me; this is my ultimate goal. Until I get it all, I will not be stopped. I’m not the type of boxer who cares about ratings or positions in the rankings. I only want to fight with the best champions. [Jermall] Charlo, Canelo or Demetrius Andrade. I can beat them easily. Middleweight? This is my division; I’m the king of this division.”
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
Obvious comparisons will be drawn between Alimkhanuly and the nation’s greatest ever fighting export, Gennadiy Golovkin. But that isn’t something he is concerned about. His move from the rolling green hills of Zhilandy to California was life changing. But the focus hadn’t changed.
“For me, Zhilandy is the most beautiful place in the world. My relatives are still living in Kazakhstan; my family lives there, and my mother lives there. It was there that I started fighting,” recalled Alimkhanuly. “There are a lot of good boxers in Kazakhstan and I thought we had a good boxing school. We have very good coaches; we have many amateur competitions at home. All of these competitions give us good experience as boxers.
“Professional boxing was not properly developed in Kazakhstan [in the past]. If we had developed professional boxing properly, then we would have won all of the world titles by now. “
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
Formerly a revered amateur with wins over familiar names like Anthony Fowler and Jason Quigley, Alimkhanuly clearly possesses plenty of ability. In McGirt, he hopes to have found the key to unlocking that potential as a professional. The pair have been working together for the last couple of years, matched after Sergey Kovalev’s resurgence under the New York-born trainer (Kovalev and Alimkhanuly currently share Egis Klimas as a manager).
“When I came to America, I was looking for a coach for about 10 days. My manager knew Buddy McGirt and he advised I should try working with him for a couple of days,” said Alimkhanuly. “From the first day we started, I liked him, because he didn’t try to change my style. Now we have been working together for about two years. I have a goal – it’s to become world champion. I know very well that nobody could ever become a world champion without having a good coach.
“Now, I haven’t boxed on a TV show in almost a year. But we have never stopped training. I had a fight scheduled last March, but unfortunately the fight was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. It is not easy; we worked hard to prepare for the fight. But it’s all in the past now. We’re not sad about it and I prefer not to look at the past; we only go forward. We are preparing for the next fight, and it looks like it will be October 9.”
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
That next outing doesn’t yet appear on any scheduled event, but it can’t be far away. The division, held up by the confusion surrounding Canelo Alvarez, waits for Janibek’s arrival at the top table. He’s fought on Top Rank and Zanfer shows in his last two outings, but the former AIBA world champion and Rio 2016 Olympian can float between promotions.
It’s likely he’ll be drafted in as paid opposition when it suits one of the division’s champions, but it doesn’t bother Alimkhanuly. Talking isn’t his style; he is all business between the ropes and pure dedication in the gym. With powerhouse manager Egis Klimas behind him, it seems inevitable that a big fight will present itself, but until then, he keeps working.
He closed, ominously reminding those who’ve yet to watch him: “This is my division. Soon, I will sit on my throne.”
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
Main image: Alimkhanuly has set his sights on middleweight domination. Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.