#QazaqStyle: Janibek Alimkhanuly
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Janibek Alimkhanuly is one of boxing’s brightest prospects in the middleweight division. Sitting at 8-0 professionally with four knockouts, Alimkhanuly is sitting at #4 in the WBO’s rankings. We spoke with Alimkhanuly and talked his start in boxing, a potential World Title fight, and Manny Pacquiao and Mikey Garcia’s rumored bout.
NOTE: This interview was ahead of his fight on the Ottawa boxing card on the weekend of the 21st of March. The COVID-19 virus has put a halt to this card. I’m releasing this interview, nonetheless. Janibek and the fans deserve this.
Janibek Alimkhanuly’s Beginning
Janibek Alimkhanuly started boxing at a very young age. Usually that statement means the fighter started training at a very young age. That’s not the case for Alimkhanuly. His first boxing match was at 6 years old.
“I started boxing when I was 6 years old. My grandfather and father loves boxing. They wanted me to do boxing. I lost my first fight when I was 6. My father said, ‘If you want to win, you need to prepare well and you need to insert a goal and achieve. If no goal, no victory.’ After the words of my father, I began to set a goal. My second fight I won. I won the Asian Championship, Asian Games and World Champinship. Now my goal is to be World Champion in professional boxing. And soon I will be champion.”
Outside of boxing, Janibek Alimkhanuly is somewhat of a book worm. “[Besides] boxing I like to read. I like to read literary books and I like to study how food affects the body. I have special books about it. And of course I study English, because in professional boxing you should not only be a boxer, you should be able to speak well.”
Setting Goals, Achieving Goals
Before the coronavirus canceled his event, Alimkhanuly was completely ready for his upcoming boxing match with Issah Samir. He knows he has the advantage in the hypothetical matchup before it was canceled.
“I respect my opponent. He has a very good record, but he is not a World Champion. I don’t care about his records. I will enter the ring and show my Qazaq style. Believe me, he has not seen a style as mine. I have long been ready to fight with champions. I was ready yesterday I am ready today and will be ready tomorrow. I want to fight only with champions. I think after this fight Top Rank will give me the championship fight. I want to beat Charlo, Andrade, and Canelo.”
Super huge aspirations coming from Janibek Alimkhanuly. Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade and Canelo Alvarez are the murderers row of the middleweight division. Running through them would be a tough task for anyone. But Alimkhanuly believes he is the man to do it.
“You have no idea how I want to be a world champion,” Alimkhanuly said. “Day and night I think about it and work hard. I am ready. If now Top Rank changed my opponent and give Andrade, I’m ready. I will beat Andrade even under water and on the moon. If my opponent is an alien, then I’m even ready to fight with him. I’m not interested in who is my opponent and his name and record. I’m only interested in the World Title.”
While Alimkhanuly was ready to take another step towards said World Title, the recent outbreak of COVID-19 won’t allow that on its original date. But Alimkhanuly has words of wisdom for everyone.
“We prepared for this was very hard. Of course, we are not happy that our fight was canceled. I think not only we, but the whole world is upset. We just lost the fight date, someone lost the family. It’s not easy. We will fight when everything calms down
but nobody will not return them to their family. I wish all patients a quick recovery.”
Janibek Alimkhanuly believes he is unlike any boxer. He believes that about everyone. The middleweight says, “God made each person special. I don’t look like anyone. I have my own style and my own way.”
Check out some highlights of Janibek Alimkhanuly below!
Mikey Garcia versus Manny Pacquiao
While the boxing world has halted at the will of COVID-19, matches are still being made. One in the works is Manny Pacquiao and Mikey Garcia. It’s a battle of two of the best boxers in the world right now. And if the fight is made, fans are in for a real treat. Janibek Alimkhanuly says age isn’t a factor in this fight. He thinks it’s a battle of who is stronger as a boxer.
“If they will fight each other, only the strongest will win. In the ring your belts and fans and the name does not help. Everyone says that Garcia is young Pacquiao old. There are no old ones in boxing, there are weak ones in boxing. The weak always lose even if they are young. I wish them good luck. May the strongest win.”
Whether or not Janibek Alimkhanuly fights Issah Samir at a later date or he’s matched up with someone else, he is sure to bring his trademarked Qazaq Style to the fight.
Follow Janibek on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to follow his boxing journey!
Janibek is really talented fighter, but I think it’s premature for him to talk about fighting Canelo, Andrade and Charlo. He needs to defeat 2-3 legit TOP-10 contenders first.
I’m With you. I think what he v was telling me was that he thinks he’s ready and that they were his goal. I feel like he’ll get those wins you say first. Possibly even a vacant world title. Then we will see him take that step up. He’s got the talent for sure.