The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has officially declared its middleweight title vacant, thereby relieving Zhanibek Alimkhanuly of his championship. This significant decision follows the IBF’s determination that the Kazakh champion was unable to fulfill his mandatory defense obligations due to an ongoing suspension linked to a VADA anti-doping case. The ruling leaves the IBF middleweight belt currently unclaimed, a move that stands in contrast to the World Boxing Organization (WBO), which had previously chosen not to strip Alimkhanuly of his title under similar circumstances.
