THE QUICKEST way to breathe life into a dying division, suffering from a severe lack of appeal, is by crowning a definitive king.
That way, at least the fans, including those that stretch beyond the realm of ‘die-hard’, can quite easily identify who the best fighter at a particular weight class really is.
We saw an example of this unfold in 2019, back when Artur Beterbiev and Oleksandr Gvozdyk – two unbeaten, yet little-known, champions – squared off in a light-heavyweight showdown.
With the name value of both Eastern Europeans being, well, not quite on the level of a Floyd Mayweather or Mike Tyson, it must be assumed that neither man came away from their encounter with an eye-watering lump of money.
But that, in the grand scheme of things, did not entirely matter, as Beterbiev would ultimately go on to cement his legacy as an all-time great at 175lbs and, along the way, collect a series of far more lucrative paydays.
Still, it is often money, or lack thereof, that prevents such fights from materialising, which is perhaps why an obvious middleweight unification between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames, 24-1-1 (18 KOs), is only now being spoken about as a genuine possibility.
Based largely on their activity via social media, it would appear that the pair are inching closer towards entering what is not only a mouth-watering contest, but also an imperative fight for the ecosystem at 160lbs.
It is no secret that, over the past year or so, the middleweight division has taken an almighty hit.
And to find even a shred of evidence for this, look no further than Boxrec’s world ratings at 160lbs where Anauel Ngamissengue, the guy that Alimkhanuly, 17-0 (12 KOs), practically annihilated in his last fight, just so happens to be the ninth-ranked contender.
That is not to say that all of his middleweight counterparts offer the same calibre of competition, though.
As it happens, the chasing pack consists of three fighters, in particular, who could all emerge as genuine threats to the world champions before long.
The most promising of which, one would argue, is Yoenli Hernandez, a formidable technician whose sharp footwork only enhances his destructive power.
Also in the mix is Aaron McKenna, who, again, possesses a comprehensive skill set to back up his demands for a shot at Alimkhanuly – or, as he likes to call him, ‘Jonny Beck’.
Then finally, another middleweight that could soon cement his position as a leading challenger is Marquis Taylor, who elevated his profile with a controversial knockout at BOXRAW’s ‘Sparring Club’ earlier this year.
Ignoring that, Taylor has established himself as a strong boxer-puncher and, most notably, was able to outpoint Yoelvis Gomez, a previously unbeaten Cuban, in 2023.
Aside from Hernandez, McKenna and Taylor, there is also an expected WBO final eliminator between Denzel Bentley and Endry Saavedra which, whenever it takes place, will see the emergence of a mandatory challenger for Alimkhanuly.
It could therefore be said that the middleweight division is not suffering from a lack of talent, but rather an especially short supply of names.
Either way, Alimkhanuly vs Adames is the fight that could change everything, unifying the WBC, IBF and WBO titles while potentially convincing Terence Crawford to try his hand at becoming a six-division world champion.
Then again, ‘Bud’ could quite easily decide to take the easier, and indeed more tempting, option against an almost faded Erislandy Lara, who somehow still holds the WBA strap.
