THE MELDONIUM TRAP: WHY THE SUBSTANCE ZHANIBEK ALIMKHANULY TESTED POSITIVE FOR IS BANNED IN BOXING
Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is banned! Discover the WBO's 1-year suspension details and the new Bentley vs Saavedra interim title fight.
Zhanibek Alimkhanuly’s run as middleweight champ just hit a brick wall. He’s out for a year, benched by the WBO after testing positive for meldonium back in November 2025. That’s a banned substance, so the WBO didn’t waste time; they confirmed the suspension on Friday and are already reworking the championship scene.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri said the World Championship Committee signed off on the suspension across the board. It’s retroactive to December 2, 2025, which lines up with the day they called off Alimkhanuly’s big unification fight against Erislandy Lara. That fight was supposed to clear up a lot of questions in the middleweight division, but now it’s off the table.
The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association ran the tests and flagged meldonium, which isn’t allowed in boxing or in a bunch of other combat sports, for that matter. So Alimkhanuly can’t fight, not even in exhibitions, until his suspension is over.
To keep the division moving, the WBO set up an interim title fight. Denzel Bentley, their top contender, is squaring off with Endry Saavedra, who’s ranked right behind him. The winner grabs the interim middleweight belt.
Once Alimkhanuly’s suspension ends in December 2026, he’ll have to go straight into a fight with the interim champ. He can’t take any tune-up fights before that, or he’s looking at more trouble with the WBO.
Before all this, Alimkhanuly was one of the most dominant guys in the division. That unification bout with Lara was supposed to settle who really runs things at middleweight. Instead, he’s out, the title’s up for grabs, and other contenders finally have a shot while he sits on the sidelines.
So, the middleweight division just changed overnight. With Alimkhanuly sidelined and the interim title in play, the championship race goes on without him, at least until the end of 2026.
REVENGE MISSION: EDDIE HEARN SIGNS UFC CHAMP TOM ASPINALL AFTER LOSING CONOR BENN
Eddie Hearn strikes back: Read about Tom Aspinall signing with Matchroom, Conor Benn’s $15M Zuffa deal, and the Dana White rivalry.
Dana White, the boss at UFC and the man behind Zuffa Boxing, just snagged Conor Benn away from Eddie Hearn. Although if we’re being honest, Benn did a lot of the heavy lifting himself with that $15 million price tag.
White was quick to celebrate, maybe a little too loudly, especially on the UFC side, but Hearn didn’t let him have the spotlight for long. Not even a week later, Hearn fired back by announcing he’d signed UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to the Matchroom Talent Agency.
This back-and-forth between Hearn and White is turning into one of the more interesting rivalries in combat sports right now.
Zuffa Boxing’s move to grab Benn for a one-fight, $15 million deal definitely made waves. Benn, after all, spent ten years fighting under Hearn’s banner before jumping ship. Hearn hasn’t been shy about how much the move stings, especially since he’s been trading barbs with White nonstop.
But Hearn’s not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went public on Instagram, welcoming Aspinall to the Matchroom squad. “Welcome to the team, UFC Heavyweight Champ @tomaspinallofficial,” Hearn posted. “Time to get what’s yours @matchroomtalentagency.”
It’s just the latest shot in their ongoing feud. White’s been out there calling Hearn soft for getting emotional about Benn leaving. Hearn, never one to back down, fired back in an interview, saying White doesn’t care about his fighters at all.
“I hear people’s comments, like Dana White calling me names and Terence Crawford asking if I actually care about these guys,” Hearn said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but we’re not like Dana White and his crew. They don’t give a damn about the fighters.
“Have you ever seen Dana White show any emotion when someone wins? He just hands over the belt, does a press conference, then heads home to his mansion with a cigar and a glass of whisky, thinking, ‘Life is sweet; we just made $800 million this year.’”
So what do you think about Tom Aspinall teaming up with Hearn’s agency? Is this a good move for Aspinall, or is it going to cause problems down the line? Let’s hear your thoughts.
MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO 2: CAN THE LAS VEGAS SPHERE BREAK REVENUE RECORDS?
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 at the Sphere! Read about the $4,000+ ticket prices, the 17,600 capacity, and new streaming rumours.
When it comes to the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao rematch, the choice of venue, Las Vegas Sphere, changes the game. You just can’t rely on ticket sales the way you could back in 2015. There’s only so much space, and that puts a cap on one of the biggest money-makers from their first fight.
People are already throwing around some wild numbers about how much this rematch could pull in. They keep looking back at that first fight, which still holds the record for the highest-grossing boxing event ever.
Back then, they raked in about $72 million from just over 16,000 fans at the MGM Grand. The Sphere isn’t much bigger at best; you get 17,600 seats, and that’s if you squeeze in every last one. So, even if you max out the space, you’re only adding about 1,300 seats. That’s not a game-changer.
So, how do you make more money? It comes down to charging more for tickets. The 2015 fight already had an average ticket price north of $4,000. To top that, promoters need to crank up the prices for premium seats and VIP experiences.
Mayweather hasn’t fought since he stopped Conor McGregor in 2017. Pacquiao came back last year and fought Mario Barrios to a draw for the WBC welterweight title. Even now, both guys are still huge names. Their first fight had the whole world watching, and it paid off big time.
But this second act could look different. In 2015, the pay-per-view model pulled in a record 4.6 million buys in the U.S. This time, there’s talk about going with a streaming deal instead. If that happens, most of the money comes from broadcast rights and sponsorships, not just people splurging on tickets.
The Sphere itself will give the rematch a unique vibe. But with the limited number of seats, what really matters is how they price those tickets and how much they can bring in from media rights. The days of packing in way more fans for the gate are over, at least for this fight.
