While one IBF titlist was spared his fate on Tuesday, the same could not be said for Janibek Alimkhanuly.
BoxingScene has confirmed that the unbeaten Kazakh southpaw was stripped of his IBF middleweight title for a previous doping violation. In a ruling distributed on Tuesday, the sanctioning body cited IBF Rule 18 covering drug testing in its justification relieve Alimkhanuly of his reign.
“Alimkhanuly is due to make a Mandatory defense of his IBF Middleweight title on or before July 4, 2026. The IBF must notify Zhanibek Alimkhanuly of his Mandatory defense on or around May 4, 2026,” IBF Championships Committee chairman George Martinez outlined in a ruling obtained by BoxingScene. “The penalties imposed by Rule 18. prohibit Alimkhanuly from being ranked by the IBF or “participat[ing] in any IBF sanctioned bout” [emphasis added] for one (1) year following his suspension for an anti-doping violation.
“Alimkhanuly’s suspension by the KPBF is effective as of December 2, 2025, and the resulting one-year period of ineligibility therefore expires on December 2, 2026. Accordingly, Alimkhanuly is unable to fulfill his Mandatory defense obligation on July 4, 2026.
“On March 5, 2026, the IBF Board of Directors participated in a teleconference to discuss this matter. A majority of the Directors determined that, in light of the foregoing, the IBF Middleweight title should be vacated immediately.”
As previously reported by BoxingScene, Alimkhanuly, 17-0 (12 KOs) was issued a backdated six-month suspension by the Kazakhstan Professional Boxing Federation (KPBF) that will run through June 2. The date is six months from December 2, when Alimkhanuly was pulled from a planned three-belt unification clash with Erislandy Lara after testing positive for Meldonium.
Alimkhanuly was due to risk his IBF and WBO titles versus Lara, the reigning WBA titleholder.
The ruling by the KBPF triggered a similar disciplinary action from the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), who converted his indefinite suspension to one with a hard June 1 deadline.
A separate ruling from the WBO left Alimkhanuly unable to participate in its sanctioned bouts for a minimum of one year. However, the WBO suspension applies only to its title fight and eliminators, as sanctioning bodies do not have the authority to suspend a boxer beyond its own jurisdiction.
Regardless, he will be down to one title whenever he returns to the ring. Additionally, he will have to undergo continued random drug testing – at his own expense – and provide clean samples prior to his reinstatement.
Because Alimkhanuly last fought in Kazakhstan – a knockout win over unbeaten Anauel Ngamissengue last April 5 in Astana – the local commission took control of the investigation.
According to the final report – a copy which was obtained by BoxingScene - the KPBF determined that Alimkhanuly ingested the substance in question from an emergency medical visit last May 7. Alimkhanuly reportedly suffered deteriorated health, at which point his “relatives sought immediate medical assistance at the Adam Clinic” in his Almaty hometown.
“The clinic’s official medical report documents the following: acute severe headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, transient bilateral visual disturbance, limb numbness [and] chest pressure.”
The final diagnosis was that Alimkhanuly suffered a transit ischemic attach (TIA) from a vertebrobasilar insufficiency. His condition was described as in need of urgent therapeutic intervention, which came with an assortment of prescribed medication.
Among the administered substances was Ripronat, which is legal in Kazakhstan but contains Meldonium. “The medical intervention, including the administration of Ripronat (Meldonium), was medically necessary, urgent, and professionally justified,” read the KPBF report. “The medical documentation submitted to the Commission is legitimate, complete, and verifiable through the national medical registry.
“[Alimkhanuly] stated that the brand name Ripronat did not lead him to associate the product with the prohibited substance Meldonium, which is commonly known internationally through other trademark names (e.g., “Mildronate”).”
An eight-person panel found Alimkhanuly negligent to a minimal degree, which resulted in the backdated six-month suspension.
Upon his return to the sport, Alimkhanuly – should he remain at 160lbs and with the WBO title still in tow – will have to face the winner of the April 4 Denzel Bentley-Endry Saveedra interim title fight in London.
IBF officials have to rule on fulfilling its vacancy. However, it’s believed that a title fight will be ordered between Etinosa Oliha and Shakiel Thompson, though it may require some work.
Sheffield’s Thompson, 15-0 (11 KOs) is the IBF No. 3 contender at middleweight, one spot below Italy’s Oliha, 21-0 (9 KOs). However, the Brit is currently scheduled to next face countryman Brad Pauls, 20-2-1 (11 KOs) on Queensberry Promotions’ March 28 “Magnificent 7” show in Manchester, England.
There is the scenario where Thompson could have his cake and it, too. According to rule IBF Rule 6.A covering vacant title fights, "If the vacancy arises unexpectedly and if one of the two leading contenders has a fight scheduled within the next 30 days, the president and championships chair may, at their discretion, allow that bout to take place prior to the notification to fill the vacancy and utilize and new ratings after the interim bout."
Regardless, Oliha is first in line to fight for the now available title.
Alimkhanuly held the IBF title since a sixth-round knockout win over then-unbeaten titleholder Vincenzo Gualtieri in their October 2023 unification bout. He made three defenses of the IBF belt and five overall with the WBO title at stake.
Tuesday’s ruling came hours after the IBF determined that the case involving cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia, 30-0 (23 KOs) – not at all drug-related – remained in deliberation.
