WBO orders Bentley vs Saavedra for interim middleweight title

WBO Creates Interim Title Bout After Zhanibek Alimkhanuly Suspension

The WBO has ordered an interim middleweight title fight between Denzel Bentley and Endry Saavedra following the suspension of champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly. The decision places two top-ranked contenders into a championship bout created by the champion’s removal from competition.

Bentley, ranked #1 by the WBO, is now set to face #2-ranked Saavedra for the interim belt. The winner will emerge as the division’s active titleholder during Alimkhanuly’s suspension and will carry the belt into future fights while the champion remains ineligible to compete.

Bentley had been ranked at the top while waiting for a title opportunity that had not materialized while the champion remained active. The suspension now connects his ranking directly to a championship fight.

Saavedra, who had moved into the #2 position, enters the first title fight of his career after advancing through the contender level. Both fighters now move from waiting behind a champion to competing directly for control of the WBO belt.

The interim title determines who holds the division’s championship presence in the ring while the recognized champion remains sidelined. The winner will carry the belt and stand first in line when Alimkhanuly becomes eligible to return.

The WBO confirmed that Alimkhanuly must face the interim champion immediately once his suspension expires in December 2026. He will not be permitted to take another fight beforehand unless granted special approval.

Interim titles often create dual-claim scenarios, but the WBO’s directive here appears structured to avoid that, requiring the champion to face the interim holder upon reinstatement.

Negotiations between both camps will determine when and where Bentley and Saavedra meet.

Bentley and Saavedra now enter a fight that determines which of them will carry the WBO belt forward while the suspended champion remains outside the ring.