Frank Warren insists that Janibek Alimkhanuly should have been stripped of the WBO middleweight title and that Denzel Bentley and Endry Saavedra should instead be contesting it on Saturday evening.
Bentley and Saavedra fight for the WBO interim title despite Janibek testing positive for the banned substance meldonium and being stripped of the IBF title and suspended by the WBO.
It was in late February when the WBO issued their year-long suspension and March when the IBF intervened. England’s Bentley and his Venezuelan opponent – who fight on the undercard of Deontay Wilder-Derek Chisora at London’s O2 Arena – could now find their careers stalling despite what would prove their most significant win.
The 31-year-old Bentley has been inactive since December 2024 – when he defeated Brad Pauls – and partly on account of his pursuit of a rematch with Janibek. Saavedra, 34, most recently fought in April 2025 when he defeated Mikkel Nielsen; the vacant IBF title will be contested by Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha on a date to be confirmed.
“Obviously he should have been stripped,” said Warren, Bentley’s promoter. “I’m hoping Janibek will have to fight the winner.
“He was unlucky against Janibek, the first fight he had [in 2022]. It’s just that those four rounds slid by, and I think that was ‘cause he didn’t have the confidence – he grew into the fight, and in the end was well winning it.
“We’ve kept him there. We’ve kept him in that position.
“I remember Frank Bruno, years ago, when he came with us – he’d had three attempts for a world title, we finally got him into the position, and he had to wait nearly 18 months before he got the shot, and that happens sometimes. That’s the business we’re in.”
