IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhnuly has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug ahead of a three-belt unification fight against WBA champion Erislandy Lara this Saturday.
Lara fights on the edge
With the positive test by 32-year-old Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs), his fight against Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is on shaky ground and could be cancelled.
The two were scheduled to fight in the co-feature slot on the Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Lamont Roach card on Amazon Prime Video PPV at the Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas.
Mike Coppinger broke the story from Alimkhnuly who tested positive. The 42-year-old Lara can still remain on the card, provided an opponent is found quickly enough to replace Janibek. It is difficult because there is not much time.
PPV card takes a big hit
For the fans who were thinking of ordering or have already ordered the expensive $74.99 event on Amazon Prime PPV, they couldn’t be happier about it. It was one of the better fights on the card. The main event between interim WBC 140-lb champion ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and Roach isn’t good enough without a strong supporting cast to make it worth paying that amount.
Janibek posted his reaction to X on his positive PED test and said he was “amaze” by the result. He says he requested a “retest”.
Retest request raises questions
If his second test proves positive, it is possible that he will be off the map. This puts Lara in a spot. He hoped to defeat Janibek and possibly be selected by Terence Crawford to fight if he moved down to 160.
“I’ve always supported clean sports, you know that well. I was surprised when I read the news. VADA took the first test and said everything was clean. I didn’t make any changes to my vitamins. I don’t know what happened with the second test, so I requested a retest,” said Janibek Alimkhnuly. Xreacting to the news that he tested positive for a banned PED ahead of what was supposed to be a unification against Erislandy Lara.
Last updated on 12/02/2025
