Janibek Alimkhanuly fails drugs test before Erislandy Lara unification fight

Janibek Alimkhanuly, the Kazakh middleweight boxer who currently holds the IBF and WBO titles, has tested positive for a banned substance before his highly anticipated unification bout against Erislandy Lara. The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) confirmed that Alimkhanuly's 'A' sample returned an adverse analytical finding for meldonium, a performance-enhancing drug which can boost endurance.

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) conducted the test and informed the WBO of the results. An internal investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the failed test.

Alimkhanuly's team initially claimed that he had not made any changes to his supplements, but now says they are "surprised" at Vada's findings and have requested a retest.

Erislandy Lara, the 42-year-old Cuban-American boxer who is defending his WBA title against 34-year-old Johan Gonzalez in the unification bout, has been waiting for this fight.

Gonzalez, a Venezuelan boxer with a 36-fight winning record, will replace Alimkhanuly in the bout after he tested positive for the banned substance.

The failed test raises concerns about the integrity of the sport and may impact Alimkhanuly's reputation.

so this is crazy! meldonium is like a super old performance booster, it was actually banned like 10 years ago how did Janibek's team not know? and now he's trying to get his 'B' sample retested but I'm not sure if that's gonna help... this unification bout is still on with Erislandy Lara, so maybe it's a good thing for him? Johan Gonzalez stepping in at the last minute must be super stressful can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out

omg i just can't believe this!!! Janibek is one of my favorite boxers and now this... I hope they find out who gave him the supplement and take action against them it's not fair to him and his career is on hold now

I also feel bad for Erislandy Lara, he was really looking forward to that unification bout and now Johan Gonzalez has to step in at the last minute this is so frustrating for boxing fans like me

and can we talk about how many times have we seen cases like this before? It's just so disappointing the sport needs more transparency and accountability

anyway, fingers crossed that Janibek gets a clean bill of health and can continue his career soon

Ugh, what a bummer . This is like, super uncool for Janibek Alimkhanuly. Testing positive for meldonium? Like, who does that? I feel bad for him and his team, 'cause they're going through this tough time right now. It's gotta be really frustrating to have their name dragged through the mud like this . And now Alimkhanuly has to sit out this fight against Erislandy Lara, which is a shame because it was supposed to be epic . I hope Janibek gets cleared of all this and can get back to training ASAP . It's a tough lesson to learn, but he'll probably come out stronger on the other side .

I feel like this whole situation is a cautionary tale about the importance of accountability in sports . When someone gets caught up in the hype of competing at the highest level, it's easy to get caught up in shortcuts that can have serious consequences. Janibek Alimkhanuly thought he could outsmart the system and get ahead by using a banned substance, but now he's facing the music .

This is a reminder that our actions have consequences, not just for ourselves, but also for those around us who are trying to compete on a level playing field. It's also a reminder of the importance of transparency and honesty in sports - if we're going to cheat, then we should be willing to own up to it and face the music .

Let's use this as an opportunity to reflect on our own behavior and consider whether we're being true to ourselves and others. Are we cutting corners or taking the high road? The choice is ours, and the consequences are always worth considering

Ugh, this is so disappointing . I was really looking forward to seeing Janibek Alimkhanuly in action against Erislandy Lara. Now I'm just worried about what happened - did he really not know about meldonium? The fact that his team is now saying they're surprised by the result makes me think there might be more to this story than we know... Anyway, it's a shame for both fighters and fans who were expecting an epic bout. I hope Johan Gonzalez can do Alimkhanuly proud in the unification fight!

You gotta wonder what happens when you're so focused on being a winner that you start to sacrifice your own well-being, you know? This guy was so pumped up to fight for those titles, he didn't think twice about using some sketchy stuff to give him an edge . But now, he's stuck dealing with the consequences of his actions. It's like, when we're trying to get ahead, do we really need to compromise on who we are as people?

Life's not just about winning or losing, it's about being true to yourself and respecting the game. I mean, think about it, if everyone was using performance-enhancing drugs, where would the integrity of the sport even be? It's all about balance, you know? How far are we willing to go to achieve our goals?

This is so shady ! I mean, Janibek Alimkhanuly was on top of his game with those IBF & WBO titles, and now he gets dinged for this meldonium thing? It looks like some pretty suspicious stuff went down in the lab... or maybe it's just a case of "we didn't do our due diligence" . I'm not buying it when Alimkhanuly's team is saying they had no idea about these supplements – sounds like an excuse to me. And now Gonzalez gets to take his place and shine , while Alimkhanuly's reputation takes a hit. It's just another reason why boxing fans are always on edge...

This is a tough one... I feel bad for Janibek Alimkhanuly, he was really looking forward to that unification bout and now it's all being put on hold. But at the same time, meldonium is a serious doping substance and you've got to take the consequences.

I'm not sure what happened here, but I think it's safe to say that Alimkhanuly's team wasn't entirely truthful about his supplements... I mean, if they're saying now that they didn't make any changes, but then Vada finds out differently, something fishy went down .

It's a shame for Erislandy Lara too, he was training for this fight and now it's been handed to Johan Gonzalez. Maybe this will be an opportunity for him to shine?

just watched this news and i gotta say, another boxer testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug? what's next? gonna be like one after another till we reach rock bottom how many times do we need to see someone test positive before we get the message?

and now they wanna retest Alimkhanuly's 'b' sample just cuz his team is all "we didn't change our supplements"? come on, save it for us lol. how can you not know if your stuff has meldonium in it i mean, we got better things to do than watch these guys play dumb

i'm all for fair fightin', but integrity's gotta be taken seriously here. what's gonna happen to Alimkhanuly now? does he lose the title? will he get suspended? or is this just gonna become another boxin' drama

This is so disappointing - I was really looking forward to watching Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Erislandy Lara, but now it seems like he's not going to be able to defend his titles. It's just so frustrating when athletes cheat and let the whole sport down . And for what? To gain an edge in a fight that's already super competitive? It's just not worth it. I feel bad for Johan Gonzalez, who's now going to have to step in and face Lara instead. I hope Alimkhanuly's team can get to the bottom of this and figure out what happened - maybe they made a mistake with their supplements ?

omg what a bummer for janibek i feel bad for him, you'd think he was gonna get away with it but i guess not. can't imagine how stressful this must be for his team right now gotta wonder if they're really surprised or just trying to spin this whole thing to save their guy's rep anyway, glad that another fighter gets a shot at the title instead of janibek i mean it's not like he didn't have enough opportunities already...