The highly anticipated unification bout for the WBA, IBF and WBO middleweight world titles, scheduled for this Saturday, will no longer take place. The holder of the IBF and WBO belts, Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly, has tested positive for a banned substance—meldonium—and has consequently been removed from the event. Cuban champion Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA title against last-minute replacement Johan Gonzalez.
A major setback, then, for Alimkhanuly’s career, which had seemed destined for major achievements. Undefeated in 17 professional bouts with 12 knockouts, the Kazakh had impressed observers with both his boxing quality and his remarkable physical size, unusually large even for world-class middleweights.
His weight-cutting practices—likely extreme in his case—had already caused serious issues in the summer of 2024, when Alimkhanuly fainted from severe dehydration while attempting to make the 160-pound limit, forcing him to postpone his title defense against New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich by several months.
It was an alarming episode that suggested an imminent move up to super middleweight, which, however, never happened. Now, the results of the B-sample and the actions of the sporting authorities are awaited to determine the Kazakh fighter’s short-term future. He may face a suspension and be stripped of his world titles.
Meldonium is a drug developed in Latvia in the 1970s. It has been used for decades in Eastern Europe to treat ischemia, heart issues and chronic fatigue. It enhances endurance, increases recovery capacity and reduces tissue damage under intense physical stress. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) placed it on the prohibited list starting January 1, 2016.
If Alimkhanuly is indeed stripped of his titles, Italy’s Etinosa Oliha—currently ranked No. 2 by the IBF—could benefit. He would likely receive the opportunity to fight for the vacant world title against American Austin Williams, who sits right behind him in the rankings. The two were already supposed to face each other last summer in a final eliminator, which was postponed due to an eye injury suffered by the Italian fighter.
As for 42-year-old Erislandy Lara, his participation on this Saturday’s card has been confirmed. The talented and highly decorated Cuban will face Venezuelan Johan Gonzalez, who enters the ring with a record of 36 wins and 4 losses, with 34 knockouts.
Gonzalez, aged 34, has yet to prove himself at the elite world level, but he is coming off a convincing victory over former world champion Jarrett Hurd and possesses significant punching power, as demonstrated by his high knockout percentage.