One man’s loss truly became another man’s opportunity. After Janibek Alimkhanuly tested positive for the banned substance Meldonium, forcing Tuesday’s cancellation of his planned title unification bout with Erislandy Lara, the WBA middleweight champion will now face late-replacement contender Johan Gonzalez on Saturday night in San Antonio.
The matchup headlines a dramatic turn of events that salvages Lara’s return to the ring while presenting Gonzalez with the biggest opportunity of his career—one he accepted on mere days’ notice. The fight will take place at the Frost Bank Center as part of the PBC on Prime Video PPV card headlined by Isaac Cruz vs.