WBA Middleweight champ Erislandy Lara to Fight Johan Gonzalez After Alimkhanuly Tests Positive For Banned Substance Meldonium
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
San Antonio, Texas (December 2nd, 2025)– In a stunning late development which will impact the Pitbull versus Roach card on PBC pay-per-view on Saturday December 6, 2025, at Front Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization World Middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, 17-0 with 12 knockouts, A Kazakh fighting out of Oxnard, California, has tested positive for banned substance Meldonium, and his titular unification bout with World Boxing Association World Middleweight champion Erislandy Lara has been canceled.
Meldonium is designed to increase energy and endurance during training. Meldonium (trade name Mildronate) is an anti-ischemic drug developed in Latvia, primarily used in Eastern Europe and Russia to treat heart and circulation conditions. It is well known in sports due to its 2016 ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a performance-enhancing substance.
Instead, Lara, 31-3-3 with 19 knockouts, Houston, Texas, will defend his title in the co-main event against Johan Gonzalez, 36-4 with 34 knockouts, a Venezuelan fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, who had been training as the backup in case Lara or Alimkhanuly fell off the card.
Alimkhanuly, in a reply on X, issued a public statement expressing surprise and denied intentional or any intentional wrongdoing. “I have always supported clean sports-you know this well. I was surprised when I read the news. VADA took the first test and said everything was clean (in my test results). I have not made any changes to my vitamins. I don’t know what happened with the second test, so I requested a retest.” It appears the retest, even in Alimkhanuly’s favor, would not yield results in time for him to be cleared again to fight Lara.
WBA MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION ERISLANDY LARA TO DEFEND WORLD TITLE AGAINST HARD-HITTING CHALLENGER JOHAN GONZALEZ THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
Unified Champion Janibek Alimkhanuly Pulled After Failing VADA Anti-Doping Test
Loaded Four-Fight PBC Pay-Per-View Event Available on Prime Video Is Headlined by ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Showdown December 6 from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO – December 2, 2025 – WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will defend his world title against hard-hitting challenger Johan Gonzalez as part of a loaded four-fight PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video this Saturday, December 6 from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Lara was originally scheduled to face unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, who was pulled from the fight after failing a VADA anti-doping test.
The pay-per-view is headlined by Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz taking on reigning WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Lamont Roach for the Interim WBC Super Lightweight Title. The showdown between two-division world champion Stephen Fulton Jr. and WBC Super Featherweight World Champion O’Shaquie Foster will now serve as the co-main event.
The Lara vs. Gonzalez fight will follow the pay-per-view opener between rising Mexican star Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. and top contender Shane Mosley Jr. for the Interim WBC Middleweight Title beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions, in association with MP Promotions, ProBox Promotions and BXSTRS.
Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) has been dominant in his run at 160-pounds, showing off his ability to go toe-to-toe and end a fight with one punch, after establishing himself as one of boxing’s best technical fighters throughout the first part of his career. His last fight saw one of the best performances of his career as he stopped the durable former two-division world champion Danny Garcia in September 2024. He captured his WBA title with a first-round knockout of Thomas LaManna in May 2021, before KO’ing Gary O’Sullivan and Michael Zerafa. Prior to his middleweight exploits, Lara was the longest reigning 154-pound world champion before he lost a tough split-decision to Jarrett Hurd in a 2018 title unification match that earned “Fight of the Year” from the BWAA. Lara returned from that fight and battled former 154-pound world titleholder Brian Castaño to an exciting draw in another narrow fight that could have gone Lara’s way. He faced a slew of the top 154-pounders in the sport, including Canelo Álvarez, ahead of his middleweight debut.
A native of Valencia, Venezuela who now trains in Las Vegas, Gonzalez (36-4, 33 KOs) earned a career-best victory in his last outing as he used his power-punching prowess to best former unified champion Jarrett Hurd in March on Prime Video. Prior to that fight, Gonzalez had dropped an October 2024 showdown with rising star Yoenis Tellez. He had previously recovered from a May 2024 defeat against top contender Jesus Ramos by stopping Ivan Herrera in two rounds in August of last year. Gonzalez made his stateside debut in 2023, earning a pair of victories in the U.S. by first stopping Ricardo Ruben Villalba in August before defeating Guido Emmanuel Schramm in November. The 34-year-old won those fights following a close 2022 decision defeat to former world title challenger Magomed Kurbanov. A pro since 2017, Gonzalez won his first 22 bouts before dropping a split decision in 2018.
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Robert Brizel – Head Boxing Correspondent