Hamzah Sheeraz has opted out of his WBO-ordered bout against middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri reports that Hamzah, 25, has “withdrawn” from his mandatory fight against IBF/WBO champion Janibek.
It is not a surprising move because Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) chose not to take the fight with Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs) because he had only slim chances of success.
The way Janibek looked in his last two fights, knocking out Andrei Mikhailovich and Vincenzo Gualtieri, it was absolutely predictable that Sheeraz would avoid him like the plague. Janibek would be bad news for a limited slugger with a chin problem like Hamzah, who some fans see as a taller version of Amir Khan.
The 2016 Olympian Janibek is a special talent, considered by many to be the creme de la creme #1 fighter in the 160-lb division today. In contrast, Hamzah also cut his teeth on world-level competition, and his experience is limited to second-tier opposition.
It would have ended badly for Sheeraz, and his chances of being a commercial success in the UK would have been dashed forever.
Hamzah’s recent wins
– Tyler Denny
– Austin Williams
– Liam Williams
– Dmitry Mitrofanov
Adames Likely Next For Hamzah
Sheeraz will fight for a world title on February 22, and it will likely be WBC champion Carlos Adames. Adames is seen as the weakest link among the three middleweight champions and the ONLY one Sheeraz would have a real chance of beating.
Adames can punch, so if he can hang in there for six rounds, he’ll probably knock Sheeraz out and expose him as a fake.
The other middleweight champion, Erislandy Lara, WBA, is too experienced and talented for Hamzah to beat him. It doesn’t matter that Lara is 41 years old. It is still too good for Hamzah and would make a mess of his career as it is. Fans in the UK rate Hamzah, but elsewhere, he is not well thought of. It seems limited.
The moment the World Boxing Organization ordered the Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Hamzah Sheeraz fight, it was predictable that it would NEVER happen in a million years. Hamzah does not have that kind of talent, as we saw in his fight against Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams on June 1 in Riyadh.
Williams hurt Sheeraz badly in that fight, and the only reason he won was because Ammo didn’t keep attacking because of his lack of ability. Hamzah would have been finished in three rounds if it had been Janibek.
Be advised Promoter George Warren of Queensberry Promotions, on behalf of @sheeraz_hamzah confirmed combat will withdraw the Mandatory against #WBO Middleweight champion @qazaqstyle. Today’s scholarship offer is cancelled. The Committee will meet to determine next steps. @KlimasBoxing
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) November 18, 2024
