Denzel Bentley Calls Janibek Alimkhanuly Out for a Rematch

Bentley wants to be full WBO Champion.

Janibek Alimkhanuly | IMAGO / AAP

Denzel Bentley, the current WBO middleweight interim champion, has called for a rematch against Janibek Alimkhanuly

“Janibek just sending shots at me and he’s blocked me,” Bentley said in a post on the social media platform X with some smiling emojis, “someone please tell this juice head let’s fight next if has a boxing license and is allowed to step foot in a boxing ring.”

Bentley (22-3-1, with 18 KOs) won the World Boxing Organization “Interim” middleweight title with a technical stoppage victory over Endry Saavedra (17-2-1, 14 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London’s Docklands on April 4th.

Janibek just sending shots at me and he’s blocked me 🤣 someone please tell this juice head let’s fight next if has a boxing license and is allowed to step foot in a boxing ring @FrankWarren @Queensberry @trboxing @WorldBoxingOrg @ringmagazine

— Denzel Bentley (@2Sharp_d) April 26, 2026

Meanwhile, the future of former unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0 with 12 KOs) is unclear. Janibek was stripped of the IBF middleweight title in March 2026 following a positive test for the banned substance meldonium, which is performance-enhancing.

While he lost his IBF belt and received a one-year suspension, he retained his WBO middleweight title. Bentley previously faced Janibek on November 12th, 2022, at the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a closer-than-expected fight, with the fighter from Kazakhstan winning a unanimous decision.

Bentley, who favors himself in a rematch, perhaps believes that Jannibek was using performance-enhancing drugs during their first fight or that Jannibek will be easy pickings after a long layoff.  

Jannibek will have been out of the ring for the better part of two years by the time the suspension ends.

Jannibek was recently the unified champion | IMAGO / AAP

As a result, the middleweight division is wide open with Jaanibek’s failed drug test for performance. The fight also came just a month after Austin “Ammo” Williams (20-2 with 13 KOs) lost his middleweight title challenge to Carlos Adames (25-1-1 with 18 KOs). In the aftermath of that fight, Adames made clear his plans to move up to the super middleweight or 168 lb division.  

The middlewieght division is full of promising young boxers

Of course, the next generation is never far behind. DAZN watchers got a look at one of the promising American prospects in the division who fought on the same card on which Bentley won his title. Amir Anderson of Syracuse, New York, improved his perfect record to 7-0, with 7 KOs. His British opponent, Jordan Dujon (10-1, 6 KOs), was slowly broken down during the course of the fight. Anderson did a great job of using distance to make sure he never had a chance to make it his fight. Dujon’s eye never closed, but was badly swollen by the middle of the fight.

Anderson is, refreshingly for a young fighter, not seeking to load up on every shot, and showed superior skills well above his seven fights. Not every shot was hard, and he clearly wanted to keep his perfect record, but he tried to get the stoppage at the right time. He emptied the clip in the closing moments for the stoppage win, though a more discerning referee could have found plenty of reason for an earlier stoppage.

Whether Bentley gets his shot at redemption or the next generation seizes the spotlight, the middleweight division promises excitement and intrigue for months to come.