Zhanibek Alimkhanuly vs. Erislandy Lara Santoya

IB Funfact:

Alimkhanuly alone at 17-0 has as many wins as the next five top rated Kazakh middleweights in the world (Viktor Temirov has 9, Armat Armanuly has 4, Abdolla Bainazorov has 2, and tied at one apiece are Sultan Babakhanov and Nurkanat Rayis)

He also has exactly as many wins as there are active Kazakh middleweight pro boxers total.

 

People just wanted to latch on to the idea that he was this big threat who was never truly been beaten or was avoided like the plague. I found it funny how people actually wanted to believe that GGG was ducking Lara. Personally I've always been of the belief that GGG's style was terrible for Lara and would have thrashed him bad. If Lara had a hard time with crude one dimensional brawlers like Angulo and Hurd then imagine what GGG would do.

Lara's career is definitely an odd one and honestly a wasted potential for a fighter as skilled as him.

 

He has done well to survive this long at his age but you are right his run has been manufactured. Janibek will end it by stopping him.

 

At first I thought you meant post Ramón Álvarez - which, yeah. But damn, you meant Canelo??

Come on, Martirosyan at least was a decent win.

 

As a massive Lara fan, I'm not looking forward to seeing him get beat up here. Hope he gives a good account, but his legs have been gone for years even if he still has the power.

 

End of the road for Lara. He will go out like fellow aged Cuban Rigondeaux by calling it a day on his stool against a younger, bigger, highly skilled southpaw.

 

Lara is a good fighter, but Janibek is too fresh for him even if I can see this lasting the distance. This just isn't a good stylistic match-up for Lara.

Janibek comfortable points win.

 

Nobody else finds that fascinating? I would have thought in the wake of Golovkin's career there would be a host of men eager to follow the footsteps of their national GOAT to glory. Specifically in his own division.

There are currently under 200 pro boxers from Kazakhstan. 196, across every weight division. That's...kind of crazy for a country that has such a strong amateur program, no?

8 heavyweights, 7 cruisers, 15 light heavies, 17 super middles, 18 super welters, 13 welters.

More than a quarter of all Kazakh fighters - 50 of them - are concentrated in just two divisions, lightweight and super lightweight. Less than a dozen in the smaller divisions and zero below flyweight.

 

Lara is old now

If he’s a massive dog, it will be worth the upset bet

 

I guess, but that was Vanes at the tail end of his career.