Kazakhstani boxer Zhanibek Alimkhanuly has moved up to the top spot in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) super middleweight rankings, according to infohub.kz.
Alimkhanuly was previously ranked second in this division. Additionally, the WBO recently named the Kazakhstani as the mandatory challenger for the title currently held by British champion Hamzah Sheeraz. Prior to the ranking update, Mexican boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez was leading, but he has been removed from the WBO list.
Alvarez's next fight will take place on September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against undefeated French boxer Christian Mbilli. The WBC super middleweight title, which Mbilli holds, will be at stake.
It is worth recalling that Alimkhanuly previously competed in the middleweight division and held the WBO and IBF championship belts. At the end of 2025, his unification bout with WBA champion Erislandy Lara was canceled due to a positive doping test by the Kazakhstani. Subsequently, Alimkhanuly was stripped of the IBF title, and the WBO suspended him for a year while retaining his championship belt. Later, the organization lifted the suspension. In July, Alimkhanuly voluntarily vacated the WBO middleweight title and announced his move to the super middleweight division.