Janibek Alimkhanuly to face Jacob Bank for WBO title in December

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Janibek Alimkhanuly’s bid for super middleweight gold looks like it’ll be an away game. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced yesterday that “Qazaq Style” and fellow top contender Jacob Bank had “reached terms to contest the vacant WBO Super Middleweight World Championship.” Bank’s manager tells Mike Coppinger that the two will meet “in December in Copenhagen, Denmark.” The matchup came about when then-champion Hamzah Sheeraz turned down a >$750k payday and vacated his title rather than face Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KO) in a mandatory defense. Bank (20-0, 11 KO) sat behind Diego Pacheco in the rankings, but Pacheco elected to follow through with a pre-planned clash with Darius Fulghum, clearing the way for Bank to battle the former unified middleweight champion. For those unfamiliar with Bank, he’s a genuine threat to Alimkhanuly, the furthest thing from an easy entry into the division. The 25-year-old Dane put a beating on former Canelo foe William Scull last year and will be facing Alimkhanuly at the latter’s most vulnerable, with lingering questions about his post-PED performance on the heels of a career-long layoff. This one will presumably land on DAZN, which has hosted Bank’s biggest fights so far and partners with Janibek’s team at Top Rank. We’ll let you know when it’s official.