IF Hamzah Sheeraz is to battle for his first world title on February 22 it won’t be in opposition to unified middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
It was revealed as we speak by new WBO President Gustavo Olivieri that Queensberry Promotions’ George Warren suggested, on behalf of Sheeraz, that the fighter ‘will withdraw the obligatory’ in opposition to the WBO champion. This cancelled as we speak’s purse bids and the Committee is to reconvene to find out what they’ll do subsequent.
The Kazakh holds the WBO and IBF titles and is now into his second 12 months as a twin titlist. Alimkhanuly, 16-0 (11 KOs), was promoted to full WBO champion in August 2022 after Demetrius Andrade didn’t defend his title in opposition to the previous newbie star. And in October 2023 he grew to become unified champion beating Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds.
Followers had hoped to see Sheeraz sq. off in opposition to Zhanibek. (Getty Photographs)
Sheeraz, 21-0 (17 KOs), will now be faraway from the WBO obligatory spot opening the door for quantity two contender Denzel Bentley who fought and misplaced to Zhanibek in November 2022. Bentley fights Brad Pauls for British and (vacant) European middleweight honours on December 7 and promoter Frank Warren has promised a world title shot for the winner.
It’s now anticipated that the 25-year-old Sheeraz will go in a distinct path. This leaves the robust risk that the WBC primary contender will transfer ahead to problem Carlos Adames for his WBC world title in February.
Adames, 24-1 (18 KOs), grew to become WBC champion when Jermall Charlo was stripped of his title in Might. This promoted the Las Vegas-based Dominican, like Alimkhanuly two years in the past, to full champion standing. The 30-year-old made a profitable first defence of his inexperienced and gold belt with a unanimous determination win over Terrell Gausha in June on the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as a part of the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin undercard.
Sheeraz was final out at Wembley Stadium ripping the European title from the arms of Tyler Denny in simply two rounds in one other dominant efficiency. Final week Sheeraz wrote on social media about his future, “A number of rumours about potential fights. I go away all negotiations to my promoter Frank Warren and my advisors in Spencer Brown and Adil Ditta whereas I grind away in camp. One factor I can say is come February I might be a world champion In Sha Allah.”
Rumours of one other bumper Riyadh Season card in February proceed to drift round. Fighters linked to that date in Riyadh embody Daniel Dubois, Hamzah Sheeraz, Terence Crawford and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
