Andreas HaleMar 11, 2026, 12:46 PM ET
CloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
Multiple Authors
The IBF decided to strip Janibek Alimkhanuly of his middleweight title Tuesday due to multiple violations, including a failed PED test and the inability to satisfy his mandatory title defense obligation. He still holds the WBO title.
Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs), of Kazakhstan, was pulled from a middleweight unification fight with WBA champion Erislandy Lara four days before they were set to meet in December after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. Both the A and B samples were submitted to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and came back positive for the substance which assists in endurance and shortens recovery time while training.
The WBO decided in late February to suspend Alimkhanuly for a year but allowed him to keep the title. However, with his inability to defend the IBF title due to his suspension, the IBF has decided to take the title away.
Alimkhanuly, 32, has also been suspended until May 31 by the Kazakhstan Federation of Professional Boxing and until June 1 by the Association of Boxing Commissions in the United States. Three of his fights were contested in Kazakhstan and 13 have taken place in the United States.