Alimkhanuly Removed from Lara Fight After Meldonium Test

Janibek Alimkhanuly, the unified IBF and WBO middleweight champion, has been removed from his scheduled title unification bout against WBA titleholder Erislandy Lara after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, organizers confirmed Thursday. The fight, set for Saturday at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the undercard to Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz's WBC interim lightweight title defense against Lamont Roach, will now feature Lara against replacement opponent Johan Gonzalez.

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) conducted the test on November 15, revealing an adverse finding in Alimkhanuly's A sample for meldonium, a performance-enhancing drug prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2016 for its potential to improve endurance. Alimkhanuly, a 32-year-old Kazakh fighter with an undefeated professional record of 17-0 including 12 knockouts, has requested testing of his B sample to contest the result. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) stated it has launched an internal investigation into the matter.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Alimkhanuly expressed surprise at the outcome. "I have always supported clean sport,...