Janibek Alimkhanuly made mandatory challenger for WBO champion Hamzah Sheeraz

Janibek Alimkhanuly has been installed as the WBO mandatory challenger for Hamzah Sheeraz’s super-middleweight title after the sanctioning body rejected Jacob Bank’s request for the position.

Sheeraz and Alimkhanuly have been ordered to begin negotiations immediately and have 20 days from the WBO resolution to reach an agreement. If no deal is made, or if either side is deemed not to be negotiating in good faith, the WBO will order a purse bid towards the end of August.

The decision moves Sheeraz-Alimkhanuly from a possible title fight into a formal WBO obligation, subject to the organisation’s ability to grant an exception, extension or other modification under its rules. Sheeraz, 27, won the WBO super-middleweight title by stopping Alem Begic in the second round on May 23 and made his first defence against Simon Zachenhuber, winning a majority decision over 12 rounds in Riyadh on July 25.

Bank’s petition rejected

Bank’s team had petitioned the WBO on June 24 and again on July 27, asking for him to be named mandatory challenger. Alimkhanuly’s team, through Top Rank, responded on August 5, with the WBO ultimately framing the issue as a choice between two eligible contenders rather than a simple question of numerical ranking.

The ruling recognised Bank as a legitimate contender. He has held the WBO Global super-middleweight title since November 23, 2024, has made three successful defences, knocked out former IBF champion William Scull, defeated Tyron Zeuge and later beat Pawel August. The WBO singled out the Scull win as an important result, but also noted that Bank had faced only one world-rated contender since entering its rankings in July 2023 and that his most recent outing was an eight-round non-title fight.

That activity and progression were not enough to outweigh Alimkhanuly’s championship résumé. The WBO also corrected the description of Zeuge’s status, stressing that while he is an accomplished fighter, he has not held a world title recognised by the WBO, WBA, WBC or IBF.

Alimkhanuly’s championship pedigree decisive

Alimkhanuly’s case rested on his run at middleweight, where he became WBO champion in 2022, made five successful WBO title defences and unified by stopping IBF champion Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds in October 2023. His title reign also included wins over Denzel Bentley, Steven Butler, Andrei Mikhailovich and Anauel Ngamissengue, with the Ngamissengue stoppage in Kazakhstan in April 2025 proving to be his final fight at 160lbs.

The WBO placed heavy emphasis on its practice of giving exceptional champions consideration when they move into an adjacent division. It cited previous cases involving Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue, Emanuel Navarrete, Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Amanda Serrano, Mikaela Mayer and Claressa Shields, while also stressing that such treatment is not automatic and remains case-specific.

Alimkhanuly had already been ranked ahead of Bank at super-middleweight by the WBO Ratings Committee. The WBO said that the ranking did not decide the matter on its own, but it was consistent with its own assessment, and there was “no compelling reason” to depart from it.

Anti-doping issue not a present bar

The ruling also addressed Alimkhanuly’s anti-doping history. A planned unification with WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara in December 2025 collapsed after Alimkhanuly returned an adverse test for meldonium, and the IBF stripped him in March 2026 while the WBO initially allowed him to retain its title subject to disciplinary proceedings.

The WBO said Alimkhanuly cooperated with the investigation, supplied medical documentation, was a first-time offender, had no previous WBO disciplinary history and complied with the conditions imposed on him. His suspension was formally terminated, effective July 10, 2026, and the WBO concluded that denying him mandatory consideration after reinstatement would constitute an additional sporting punishment.

Alimkhanuly relinquished the WBO middleweight title in July to move to super-middleweight, ending a reign that had begun with the interim belt more than four years earlier. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed that Alimkhanuly had informed him of the move, which led to Bentley being elevated to full WBO middleweight champion.

Bank’s petition has been denied, but the WBO made clear that the decision does not remove him from the title picture. Bank also has 14 days from the resolution to appeal the decision.

The immediate next step is the negotiation period between Sheeraz and Alimkhanuly. If the sides cannot agree terms within the 20-day window, the WBO is expected to move the fight to a purse bid.