WBO Orders For Janibek Alimkhanuly And Hamzah Sheeraz Clash

Negotiations for Alimkhanuly-Sheeraz Bout to Commence

Alimkhanuly, the current WBO super-middleweight champion, has been unable to defend his title due to injury. / WBO on Facebook.

By Daniel Mukenya

The two teams have until October 23 to reach an agreement, or the fight will be sent to purse bid, this is according to a letter that was issued by WBO on Tuesday 8th of October. The minimum bid for the fight is $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Dollars). Either of the two parties can request a purse bid before then, they do not necessarily have to wait until they reach an agreement to do it.

Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs), retained his IBF middleweight world title with a stoppage victory over Andrei Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KOs) handing him the first loss of his professional career.

The fight appeared to be over in the second round when Mikhailovich received a solid left hand followed by a series of brutal punches that forced him towards the canvas just moments before the bell. Leniency from the referee allowed Mikhailovic to continue after he needed help from the ropes to stay upright during the count.

Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs), a 25-year-old from London, is ready to step up. He is ranked #1 by the WBO as well as the WBC, whose title holder is Carlos Adames. In September, Sheeraz impressively stopped Tyler Denny in just two rounds at Wembley. His force was felt just seconds into the first round when a left hook toppled Tyler Denny, though it failed to land cleanly, it was enough to drop the Black Country fighter.

Hamzah Sheeraz is seen as one of Great Britain’s most promising fighters and his recent success and step up in opposition has given him world recognition and now it seems like a world title shot is around the corner. His knockout streak of 15 consecutive fights, has earned him a reputation as one of the hardest punchers in the division and one of the most talented.

“Please be advised that the parties herein are hereby ordered to commence negotiations for the subject matter bout. The camps are granted 15 days to reach an agreement. Failure to reach an agreement within the time provided herein will result in this Committee ordering purse bid proceedings pursuant to WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.” Stated the World Boxing Organisation in a notice released.