Kazakh boxer Janibek Alimkhanuly has tested positive for a banned substance, meldonium, just days before his scheduled middleweight unification bout against Erislandy Lara. The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) and an internal investigation are underway after Alimkhanuly's 'A' sample returned an adverse analytical finding.
Alimkhanuly, the IBF and WBO champion, has always maintained that he adheres to clean sport, but Vada took the first test and declared everything clean. The 32-year-old then underwent a second test, which also came back positive for meldonium.
"I have always supported clean sport, you know this well," Alimkhanuly said in a statement. "I was surprised when I read the news." He requested a retest of his 'B' sample but it's unclear whether that will happen in time for the bout against Lara.
The 42-year-old Lara, who is defending his WBA title against Johan Gonzalez on Saturday, was originally scheduled to face Alimkhanuly. However, he will now be paired with the 34-year-old Gonzalez, according to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), who are promoting the event.
Meldonium was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in 2016 due to its performance-enhancing properties. It's a substance that can boost an athlete's endurance and is considered a high-risk contaminant.
Alimkhanuly has won all 17 of his professional bouts since making his debut in 2016, while Lara last fought 14 months ago when he stopped Danny Garcia in the ninth round to retain his WBA title.
Alimkhanuly, the IBF and WBO champion, has always maintained that he adheres to clean sport, but Vada took the first test and declared everything clean. The 32-year-old then underwent a second test, which also came back positive for meldonium.
"I have always supported clean sport, you know this well," Alimkhanuly said in a statement. "I was surprised when I read the news." He requested a retest of his 'B' sample but it's unclear whether that will happen in time for the bout against Lara.
The 42-year-old Lara, who is defending his WBA title against Johan Gonzalez on Saturday, was originally scheduled to face Alimkhanuly. However, he will now be paired with the 34-year-old Gonzalez, according to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), who are promoting the event.
Meldonium was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in 2016 due to its performance-enhancing properties. It's a substance that can boost an athlete's endurance and is considered a high-risk contaminant.
Alimkhanuly has won all 17 of his professional bouts since making his debut in 2016, while Lara last fought 14 months ago when he stopped Danny Garcia in the ninth round to retain his WBA title.
THIS MELDONEUM THING IS LIKE A DARK STAIN ON THEIR BOXING SCENE AND I FEEL BAD FOR ERISLANDY LARA WHO WAS ROBBED OF HIS UNIFICATION BOUT 
JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY SAYS HE'S ALWAYS BEEN CLEAN, BUT IF THAT'S REALLY THE CASE THEN WHY DID THE FIRST TEST COME BACK POSITIVE? 
! Janibek Alimkhanuly's career just went from champ to controversy in like, two seconds flat 
. I mean, I know he said he's all about clean sport and all that, but when it comes down to it, he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar 
. Meldonium is like the doping cheat of cheating 
...and now his title fight against Erislandy Lara is basically a done deal 
. I feel bad for Lara, though - he was robbed of his shot at Alimkhanuly's belt 
. Anyway, time will tell if Janibek gets reinstated or not...but for now, it's a major bummer for boxing fans everywhere 
.
. Meldonium being banned since 2016 is like a major red flag - it's not something you just forget about. 
. If anything, it's even more fishy that he was trying to retest his 'B' sample, hoping to get out of this one 
.
. It's like Alimkhanuly just gets a free pass 
? No way, man. If you're gonna cheat, own up to it or face the consequences 
.
. It's like they need to take responsibility for their own actions and not rely on someone else to sort them out 
.
This whole thing is a bummer 
. But, at the same time, you can't just ignore a positive test result 
...I mean, if he didn't take the banned substance, why would his 'B' sample come back positive? 
.
. Erislandy Lara was probably looking forward to unifying the middleweight titles with him... now that's just not going to happen 
alimkhanuly was so close to becoming the champ now its all being taken away from him what a shame lol he must have been thinking 'hey meldonium cant hurt nobody' 
anyway gotta respect lara for stepping up and defending his title against gonza he's gonna make the most of this 
. I hope Alimkhanuly gets his act together and learns from this mistake.
. what do you think will happen now with janibek's fight? 
. What's even more annoying is that there's still a chance Alimkhanuly might get away with it 
.
. Lara's a legend & all but he got unlucky too 
. Lara has been waiting for this bout for months, now he's stuck fighting someone else 
. Alimkhanuly's "I've always supported clean sport" vibe doesn't sit right with me either... all talk and no action 
Lara is getting robbed too, his whole career is on the line for some mistake like this. it's just not right 
this guy Janibek Alimkhanuly just got caught red-handed for meldonium 
what's next? do we just accept it as part of the game?