Unbeaten super-middleweight speaks on controversial WBO decision.
The world of boxing is a crazy one to live in. As fans of the sport, we know that. There is always something going on, and that is what makes it what it is.
Yet often, the things that go on cause disagreements. In a sport with multiple governing bodies, this is inevitable, and a recent ruling by the WBO has only reminded us of this.
The sanctioning organisation recently installed Janibek Alimkhanuly–the former unified middleweight champion who was serving a drug ban–as the mandatory challenger to WBO super-middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz.
This rubbed many people up the wrong way, including Sheeraz himself. And now undefeated Danish contender Jacob Bank (who previously would have been in position to challenge for Sheeraz’s title) has had his say on the matter.
“It’s actually not even the shortened suspension that bothers me the most, although that decision is completely impossible to understand in itself”, Bank stated to The Ring. “Either you receive a suspension for a doping violation or you don’t. Changing the length of that suspension halfway through is extremely unusual and raises a lot of questions.
“The bigger issue is that the WBO has effectively awarded him. They’ve put him straight back at the top of the rankings and immediately made him the mandatory challenger. That’s where this becomes completely wrong. It isn’t just about me or Hamzah … it affects every fighter who worked their way up the rankings fairly.
“Let Janibek come back–one or two fights, and prove that he’s back–as a clean athlete after serving his punishment. That’s how sport is supposed to work. Instead, he serves a reduced suspension and is rewarded with the division’s biggest opportunity. That sends a terrible message to fighters worldwide who believe in a clean sport.
“What surprises me most is that none of the major boxing media outlets have really questioned this decision.”
With Bank having fought his way up the rankings himself, his frustration is understandable, as it would have originally been him to challenge Sheeraz instead of Janibek.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen where this story goes from here.
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