Hamzah Sheeraz swerves WBO middleweight title shot

IF Hamzah Sheeraz is to struggle for his first world title on February 22 it is not going to be towards unified middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.

It was revealed right now by new WBO President Gustavo Olivieri that Queensberry Promotions’ George Warren suggested, on behalf of Sheeraz, that the fighter ‘will withdraw the obligatory’ towards the WBO champion. This cancelled right now’s purse bids and the Committee is to reconvene to find out what they are going to 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 towards the previous newbie star. And in October 2023 he turned unified champion beating Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds.

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 special course. This leaves the robust chance that the WBC primary contender will transfer ahead to problem Carlos Adames for his WBC world title in February.

Adames, 24-1 (18 KOs), turned 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 choice 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 lot of rumours about potential fights. I depart 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 will likely 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.