“Crawford Doesn’t Need Adames — I’ll Take Belts”

Janibek Alimkhanuly says Terence Crawford won’t need to move down to 160 to challenge WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames for his title.

Janibek’s Challenge to Crawford

IBF and WBO 160-lb champion Janibek states that he’ll defeat WBA champion Erislandy Lara on December 6th, then Adames for his belt. Then Crawford can fight him for all four belts when he’s ready.

The main problem with the unbeaten Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs) is that Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) has never shown any interest in fighting him. And now that Crawford is sniffing around, hinting about moving down to 160 to capture a sixth division world title, there’s even less of a reason for the 31-year-old Adames to fight Alimkhnuly. Why take that risky fight when he can sit and wait for Crawford?

Crawford’s Easier Path Through Adames

The WBC title is the equivalent of the golden ticket for Adames, as he’s the one who has the best shot at getting the Crawford fight. The Omaha, Nebraska, native Bud sparred with Adames years ago and reportedly got the better of him in 2014. Going up against Adames would be easier for Crawford than facing arguably the King of the 160-lb division, Janibek, for his titles if he’s victorious in his fight against Lara on December 6th.

No Need for Adames Fight

He doesn’t need to fight Adames. I’ll beat both Lara and Adames, take all four belts, and then he can take his time and get ready to fight me. https://t.co/Pu5JzKm33j

— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) October 30, 2025

It’s understandable for Janibek to want Crawford to challenge for his belts at 160 because the payday would be huge in the millions fighting him. If Crawford moves down to middleweight and faces Adames instead, he could either give up after capturing the WBC title from him and be satisfied with becoming a sixth-division title or retire.

Height and Style Matchup Factor

The 5’11 1/2″ Janibek would be one of the tallest opponents the 5’9″ Crawford has fought since his battle against the 5’11 1/2″ Viktor Postol on July 23, 2016. He had a lot of trouble with the lanky Ukrainian in that fight and had to rely on his hand speed and movement to get a 12-round unanimous decision.

Janibek vs. Lara will be fighting in the co-feature on the Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Lamont Roach event on December 6, 2025, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The event will be shown on Amazon Prime Video PPV. The 42-year-old Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) will be coming off a 15-month layoff since his last fight against Danny Garcia on September 14, 2024. Lara stopped the former two-division world champion Garcia in the ninth round.