Zhanibek Alimkhanuly aims to steer clear of the fate that befell Gennady Golovkin.

At 31 years old, the Kazakh fighter aims to steer clear of Gennady Golovkin's career path, which saw him not face significant opponents until he was 30. For many years, Golovkin held a cult status and was avoided by notable rivals until he finally secured a match against David Lemieux at the age of 33. However, Janibek is determined to carve out a different trajectory for himself. Following his upcoming title defense, he insists that he will only fight champions.

https://sports.kz/news/janibek-alimhanulyi-stremitsya-izbejat-sudbyi-gennadiya-golovkina2025-03-03 09:27:11

SI.com journalist Joseph Hammond compared the career development scenarios of the current WBO/IBF middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly and the former titleholder in this division Gennady Golovkin, as reported by Sports.kz.

“At 31 years old, the Kazakh fighter aims to avoid the career path of Golovkin, who did not have significant fights until he was 30. For many years, Golovkin held an iconic status, and renowned opponents avoided him until he finally faced David Lemieux at the age of 33. However, Zhanibek is determined to change his own trajectory. Following his upcoming title defense, he insists on only fighting champions.

Like GGG before him, Zhanibek has made several bold challenges. The potential match against Chris Eubank Jr. at the end of 2023 did not materialize, further highlighting Zhanibek's difficulties in securing bouts with notable opponents,” the article states.

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly's return to the ring is scheduled for April 5 in Astana, where he will face Anaouel Ngamissenge from France.