Jacob Bank’s best chance against Janibek Alimkhanuly may come from making the former middleweight champion fight harder and longer than he wants. Denzel Bentley succeeded at that against a younger Janibek. Bank needs to start sooner and take it further.
Their January 23 fight in Horsens, Denmark, will be contested for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. For Bank, the task is to turn a technical fight into a war of attrition without getting picked apart on the way inside.
Bentley came up short against Janibek in November 2022, yet sustained activity forced the champion to expend energy following a cautious start. Janibek looked vulnerable once Bentley grouped punches, taking away the room Janibek needed to set the pace. That bout provides Bank a clear blueprint. It highlights the danger of patience.
Bank cannot waste early rounds studying Janibek from outside, handing him distance and banking rounds while fresh. The younger fighter needs continuous volume, targeting the ribs and beltline whenever he safely steps inside. Forcing Janibek to pivot, defend, and reset takes a deeper toll than hunting for a single clean punch.
The goal must be to drain his gas tank before the second half begins. Bank showed strong finishing ability when halting William Scull in the twelfth round in January. Scull offered minimal return fire.
Janibek is moving up to 168 pounds, coming off inactivity, and will likely carry his pop early. If Bank charges in without a tight guard, feints, and head movement, he walks onto counters before Janibek’s tank even begins to drain. Bank has the size, the engine, and the home crowd in Denmark, but toughness alone won’t knock out guys with elite amateur pedigree.
If Bank commits to a high guard, cuts off the ring, digs to the ribs, and makes Janibek carry his weight in the clinch, the wear and tear will tell by round seven or eight. It comes down to whether Bank can absorb the initial fire to cash in on that size and stamina down the stretch.
