Canelo's got other plans right now. He'll face William Scull in Saudi Arabia on May 3. It's the first of four fights he's signed up for with Riyadh Season.
Alimkhanuly isn't giving up, though. He's been tagging Sheikh Turki Alalshikh in his posts, saying:
"Turki, give me Canelo, and you will see beautiful boxing, and you will be surprised!"
He's even talking directly to Canelo:
"If he is ready, he is ready, and you know that I am too! (...) hot day, nerves for Canelo"
The 31-year-old Kazakh boxer has been making noise for a while. After beating Steve Butler, he said:
"Champions and boxing superstars, where are you? I'm waiting; let's fight. I'm the most avoided boxer. I'm the king of middleweight. Let's fight!"
Alimkhanuly's got some credentials. He's the unified middleweight champion, holding the WBO title since 2022 and adding the IBF belt in October 2023. He also fought in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But Canelo's likely to look elsewhere for his next few fights. His deal with Riyadh Season means he'll probably face bigger names like Terence Crawford or Dmitry Bivol.
Meanwhile, Alimkhanuly's got his own fight coming up. He'll defend his titles against Anauel Ngamissengue on April 5 in Astana, Kazakhstan. It's a chance for him to show why he deserves a shot at the biggest names in boxing.
For now, Canelo vs. Alimkhanuly looks unlikely. But in boxing, you never know what might happen down the road.