LONDON, England — Frank Warren has called on the WBO to order their middleweight champion to face No. 1 contender Denzel Bentley.

Kazakh Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0 12 KOs) marked his long-awaited homecoming show in style by stopping Frenchman Anauel Ngamissengue in the fifth round of their Astana clash on April 5.

That fight was a voluntary defence of his WBO and IBF titles that kept the Ring’s No. 1 middleweight unbeaten.

Britain's Bentley, No. 1 with the WBO, has been waiting for a shot at the middleweight belts — and redemption against Alimkhanuly following his spirited unanimous decision defeat to him in November 2022.

The 30-year-old Londoner consolidated his position at the top of the ratings in his last outing, outpointing compatriot Brad Pauls at home on Dec. 7 to claim the British and European 160lb titles while also successfully defending his WBO international belt.

Now Warren, his long-time promoter, is ready to push the sanctioning body to make a decision on when their champion will have to make his next mandatory defence with Bentley ready and waiting to oblige.

"Janibek's last fight was a voluntary so we expect he will now have his mandatory next," Warren told The Ring.

"Now his fight in Kazakhstan is out of the way, we'll find out what is next for him. We'll see what happens with Denzel and there'll be some decisions made on that, but we'll be pushing the WBO now for a decision.

"Denzel has been patiently waiting in the top spot so now we should find out what the time frame is and everything.

"He hasn't fought yet this year because he is right up there in the rankings and we do not want to let anything get in the way of a title shot.

"But he cannot wait there forever, he's got to fight for that title before the end of the year, absolutely."