Janibek Alimkhanuly is preparing to step into hostile territory for his next major career milestone. The undefeated powerhouse known as "Qazaq Style" has set his sights firmly on the 168-pound division, and he will have to travel away from home to capture the vacant WBO super middleweight world championship.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced yesterday that representatives for Alimkhanuly and fellow top contender Jacob Bank had officially reached terms to contest the vacant crown. According to statements made by Bank’s management to insider Mike Coppinger, the high-stakes championship bout is slated to take place this coming December in Copenhagen, Denmark, setting up an electric atmosphere in front of a partisan European crowd.
The path to this vacant world title fight materialized unexpectedly after the previous titleholder, Hamzah Sheeraz, opted to turn down a lucrative payday exceeding $750,000 rather than move forward with a mandatory defense against Alimkhanuly. Instead of accepting the challenge, Sheeraz chose to vacate the WBO championship entirely. That decision left the belt vacant and opened the door for the governing body to orchestrate a matchup involving the division’s leading contenders.
Initially, Diego Pacheco sat directly ahead of Jacob Bank in the WBO rankings. However, Pacheco elected to move forward with a pre-planned, high-profile clash against Darius Fulghum instead. That strategic scheduling choice cleared the immediate path for Bank, who seized the opportunity to step up and challenge the former unified middleweight champion for ultimate supremacy at super middleweight.
For boxing fans unfamiliar with the rising Danish contender, Jacob Bank represents a genuine and formidable threat to Alimkhanuly’s ambitions, steering far clear of being a soft entry into the new weight class. The 25-year-old Dane arrives with an unblemished professional record of 20 victories, no defeats, and 11 wins coming by way of knockout. Bank turned heads across the international boxing community last year when he delivered a dominant, punishing performance against former Canelo Alvarez opponent William Scull.
Stepping into the ring with a hungry, undefeated young puncher in his home country will present unique challenges for Alimkhanuly. The southpaw star boasts an impressive undefeated record of 17 wins with 12 knockouts, but he enters this new chapter facing lingering questions from critics and analysts. Questions regarding his post-performance metrics and ring rust have naturally surfaced following a career-long layoff, adding an extra layer of intrigue and pressure to his super middleweight debut campaign.
Logistically, the championship event is expected to find a home on DAZN. The streaming platform has successfully hosted the majority of Bank’s biggest fights to date and maintains a robust broadcast partnership with Alimkhanuly’s promotional team at Top Rank. As final contracts are finalized and official promotional details are polished, boxing enthusiasts await formal confirmation regarding the exact date and venue particulars in Copenhagen.
