Hamzah Sheeraz calls WBO order for title fight ‘disgraceful’

Hamzah Sheeraz, 27, has accused the WBO of corruption after the organisation ordered him to defend his super-middleweight title against Janibek Alimkhanuly. The ruling applies to the 168lb division and makes Alimkhanuly the mandatory challenger for Sheeraz’s belt.

Sheeraz described the decision as damaging to boxing and questioned why Alimkhanuly had been placed in line for a world title opportunity. He said the WBO was effectively rewarding a fighter who had failed a test for a banned substance, adding that personal relationships and ulterior motives might have influenced the decision.

Alimkhanuly tested positive for meldonium in November. The WBO later ended the year-long suspension that followed, clearing the way for him to become the mandatory challenger at super-middleweight.

The Kazakh had previously been the unified middleweight champion. The IBF removed one of his belts after the failed doping test, before his position shifted to the WBO mandatory route at 168lb.

Sheeraz had been prepared to meet unbeaten contender Jacob Bank in his next fight. Bank was ranked immediately behind Canelo Alvarez among the WBO’s leading contenders, but that plan was overtaken by the order involving Alimkhanuly.

The Ilford boxer won the vacant super-middleweight title in May with a second-round stoppage of Alem Begic. Before that, he stopped Edgar Berlanga in five rounds, although his previous middleweight contest with Carlos Adames ended in a contentious draw.

His most recent bout was a majority-decision win over Simon Zachenhuber in July. Sheeraz’s record also includes that result and the earlier Berlanga victory, but the WBO’s mandatory ruling now gives Alimkhanuly the next confirmed challenge to his championship.