IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOS) made little-known contender Anauel Ngamissengue (14-1, 9 KOS) get the job done easily and knocked him down on Saturday night at the fifth round of Barys Arena in Kazakhstan Astana.

Finish

Janibek dropped Ngamissengue in the fifth round after connecting the heads of two big left hands. The referee waved it after Ngamissengue returned to his feet.

The battle between the two is a good fight because they swapped a lot of heavy shots. Southpaw Janibek’s left hand is different. He has too much power to handle on #7 IBF and #13 WBO ngamissengue.

Janibek hit a lot more tonight than usual compared to his previous battles. One reason is that he chose to fight close, hoping to communicate with his matching opponent. In the first round, Janibek, 32, lowered a large left to the left and lowered Ngamissengue with his left hand.

After the knockout, Janibek fights like he’s almost worried about a Congo-born opponent willing to get into trouble with him.

Adames or Lara?

With this victory, Janibek is ready to focus on a unified battle with the other two champions. Here are two champions he might aim for next:

• Carlos Adames -WBC
• Erislandy Lara -WBA

Of those two, Adames will be more interesting due to his recent draw against Hamzah Sheeraz. But if Janibek chooses to face Hamzah in a rematch, he will be unlikely to fight the Adames next. If he has time, it is the person he needs to face.

Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 Kos), 41, has been around forever and is known for hardcore boxing fans who remember his battle with Canelo Alvarez, Paul Williams and Vanes Martirosyan years ago. Lara is a tricky style for Janibek because of his South Claw style and sleek boxing skills, the boxing skills he learned years ago in the Cuban national team. Lara has the ability and technical skills that can cause big problems for Janibek.