Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov to fight for WBC world title
Kazakh middleweight Meiirim Nursultanov is set for the biggest fight of his professional career after the World Boxing Council (WBC) officially ordered a bout for the WBC middleweight world title, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The WBC has officially sanctioned a middleweight title fight between reigning champion Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic and undefeated Kazakh contender Meiirim Nursultanov.
The WBC has instructed the promoters of both fighters to begin negotiations, giving them until October 20, 2026, to agree on a date and venue. If no deal is reached by the deadline, the organization will order a purse bid, with promotional rights awarded to the highest bidder.
For 33-year-old Nursultanov, a longtime mandatory challenger and one of the top-ranked middleweights, the bout will be his first opportunity to fight for the full WBC world title. The undefeated Kazakh boxer holds a professional record of 20 wins, including 11 by knockout, although he has not competed in three years.
Several days earlier, veteran boxing journalist and former ESPN reporter Dan Rafael reported that a decision on the Adames-Nursultanov bout was expected.
The WBC had previously confirmed that Nursultanov would face Adames if he defeated Jesus Ramos Jr. However, their scheduled September 19 bout was called off due to Ramos’ health issues.
Following the cancellation, Nursultanov’s team said the Kazakh boxer was ready to challenge Adames directly for the world title.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s unbeaten boxer Janibek Alimkhanuly climbed to second in the WBO super middleweight rankings.