The Ring has learned that the 33-year-old is relinquishing his WBO 160-pound title and moving up a division. As a result, Denzel Bentley, who held the interim strap, has been elevated.

“Janibek Alimkhanuly has informed me that he’s moving up,” Gustavo Olivieri, President of the WBO told The Ring. “He will now compete at super middleweight and Denzel Bentley is now elevated to full champion.”

The Kazakh may have a new home, but he’s still dealing with old news. In November 2025, Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) was flagged for an adverse finding for meldonium in his VADA drug test. As a result, he was removed from his December unification bout against Erislandy Lara.

After investigating, the WBO suspended Alimkhanuly for one year, but chose not to strip him of his 160-pound title. Once his ban is lifted in December, he’ll start his new chapter at 168 pounds.

During Alimkhanuly’s ban, the sanctioning body crowned Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) as its interim champion after the Englishman defeated Endry Saavedra via seventh-round stoppage on April 4.

For Bentley, becoming a world champion was a lifelong dream. However, he could face a monumental challenge in the coming months.

The Ring was informed that Yoenli Hernandez (10-0, 9 KOs), the hard-hitting undefeated Cuban and WBO mandatory, might be Bentley’s first title defense. The 29-year-old was last seen in March against Terrell Gausha. Although he’s normally durable, the former title challenger was stopped in four rounds. The WBO is also pondering whether Bentley will be allowed to take another route.

“We will deliberate further,” Olivieri said. “But Bentley will either be allowed to do a voluntary or be mandated to face Hernandez. A ruling is forthcoming.”