IBF Strips Alimkhanuly of Middleweight Title Over Suspension

The International Boxing Federation has stripped undefeated middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly of its 160-pound title, citing his inability to meet a mandatory defense obligation due to a suspension stemming from a positive drug test for the banned substance meldonium.

The decision, announced on March 10, 2026, followed a teleconference by the IBF Board of Directors on March 5. Alimkhanuly, a 30-year-old southpaw from Kazakhstan with a record of 17-0 and 12 knockouts, had held the IBF belt since stopping Vincenzo Gualtieri in the sixth round on October 14, 2023, in a unification bout that also secured the WBO title. He made three successful defenses of the IBF strap, including a knockout victory over Anauel Ngamissengue on April 5, 2025, in Astana, Kazakhstan, which unified the IBF and WBO championships.

The violation trace back to a sample collected on November 15, 2025, by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. VADA notified the IBF of an adverse finding for meldonium on December 2, 2025, prompting Alimkhanuly's withdrawal from a scheduled unification fight against WBA champion Erislandy Lara on December 6 in San Antonio, Texas. The B sample confirmed the presence of...