The IBF has stripped Janibek Alimkhanuly of his middleweight belt as a direct consequence of his positive test for the banned substance meldonium last December.
While the WBO has opted for a more lenient path—allowing the Kazakh star to retain his title while serving a suspension—the IBF took a “strict liability” stance, stripping the belt he won from Vincenzo Gualtieri in 2023. Alimkhanuly’s A and B samples, collected by VADA in November 2025 ahead of a planned unification with Erislandy Lara, both returned positive for meldonium. The IBF has imposed a one-year suspension retroactive to December 2, 2025. As this ban sidelines Alimkhanuly until December 2026, the IBF determined he cannot fulfill his mandatory defense deadline, which was set for July 4. Now, the IBF has declared the 160-pound title vacant immediately.