A major middleweight unification is set for December 6, as Erislandy Lara and Janibek Alimkhanuly have agreed to meet in a three-title showdown at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The bout will serve as the co-main event on the PBC Prime Video pay-per-view card, headlined by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach.
The matchup will see Janibek, the reigning IBF and WBO middleweight champion, put his titles on the line against WBA titleholder Lara. The 42-year-old Cuban will end a 15-month layoff since his ninth-round stoppage win over Danny Garcia in September 2024, while Janibek enters with momentum following his fifth-round knockout of Anauel Ngamissengue earlier this year.
For Janibek, this fight is a long-awaited chance to unify further in a division that has eluded a single dominant champion for years. The Kazakh southpaw had pursued a unification with WBC titleholder Carlos Adames, but with that bout failing to materialize, Lara’s agreement provides the next best route toward middleweight supremacy.
Lara, meanwhile, brings championship pedigree and elite experience against names such as Canelo Alvarez, Austin Trout, and Paul Williams. Despite his age and inactivity, the veteran remains one of the most technically skilled fighters in the sport and will rely on precision and ring IQ to offset Janibek’s youth and power advantage.
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The winner will hold three of the four major belts at 160lbs and could emerge as the next logical target for Terence Crawford, who is expected to explore a move down to middleweight in 2026.
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