WBO Hands Janibek a Vacant 168 Title Shot Against Unbeaten Jacob Bank

The WBO cleared out two of its logjams on Tuesday. First, the sanctioning body ordered former middleweight king Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KO) to negotiate with unbeaten Jacob Bank (20-0, 11 KO) for the vacant super middleweight strap, handing the two sides a 15-day window to strike a deal. The belt opened up when Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KO) walked away from it rather than sit and wait.

That's a sensible pairing. Bank, ranked third at 168, has arguably earned this shot for a while: he's blitzed his way through 2025 with a knockout of William Scull, a fifth-round stoppage of Paulinus Ndjolonimu and a shutout decision over Pawel Augustynik. Add in the fact that the WBO's number two, Diego Pacheco (26-0, 19 KO), is tied up against Darius Fulghum, and there weren't many cleaner routes to a title bout.

Why Bank Slid Into Frame

Sheeraz never lost the belt in the ring — he ditched it. With Janibek looming as a mandatory-caliber threat and Pacheco marinating, the champion opted out, leaving the two most credentialed remaining contenders to sort it between themselves. If they can't agree terms inside the fortnight, expect a purse bid to follow the same script the WBO is running one weight class down.

Bentley's Turn at 160

Eight pounds lighter, the WBO also sent newly upgraded middleweight champion Denzel Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KO) and mandatory Yoenli Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) to a purse bid next week. Bentley has rebuilt with real momentum since his upset loss to Nathan Heaney, going 4-0 with three finishes, capped by a seventh-round stoppage of Endry Saavedra in April that got his interim belt bumped to full status.

Hernandez is the more dangerous name on paper — a 9-of-11 finish rate at 82% tells you plenty — and he's trying to follow the trail blazed by fellow Cuban Osleys Iglesias. But his most recent win over Francisco Veron, while solid, exposed cracks a heavy hitter like Bentley could pry open. That's the kind of stylistic wrinkle that makes a purse bid worth watching.

For Janibek, the bigger picture is the move north itself. A two-belt middleweight champion chasing hardware in a second division is exactly the sort of resume-builder that keeps a fighter relevant in a crowded 168-pound field. Bank, still perfect and still hungry, isn't the kind of opponent who'll make it easy.