IBF announces Alimkhanuly’s title status
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has released its updated rankings of the world’s top professional boxers for February, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Two boxers from Kazakhstan appear in the IBF rankings. In the junior lightweight division, Kazakhstan’s Sultan Zaurbek is formally ranked third, but effectively holds the top spot, as the first and second positions above him are listed as vacant.
The IBF world champion in this weight class is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete.
In the middleweight division, Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly is listed as the IBF world champion, indicating that the federation has not stripped him of his title following the investigation into the detection of doping in his test samples.
Earlier, Alimkhanuly’s manager Berik Sultan said the IBF was expected to make a decision on the boxer in early March. However, aside from the updated rankings — where Janibek Alimkhanuly remains champion — the federation has not issued any separate official statements.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the WBO had imposed a one-year suspension on Janibek Alimkhanuly while allowing him to retain his championship title. During the suspension, the boxer will be barred from participating in both professional and exhibition bouts.
