Janibek Alimkhanuly has been hit with a second straight necessary title protection.
This time, it’s the WBO calling for its top-rated contender to get a shot on the unified middleweight titlist. The sanctioning physique has ordered Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly to subsequent face unbeaten contender Hamzah Sheeraz. The ruling was made Tuesday, with each side given till Oct. 23 to succeed in a deal.
“Please be suggested that the events… are ordered to begin negotiations,” WBO Championship Committee Chairman Luis Batista-Salas stated in a ruling obtained by The Ring. “The camps are granted 15 days to succeed in an settlement.
“Failure to succeed in an settlement inside the time supplied herein will consequence on this Committee ordering purse bid proceedings.”
Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 knockouts) is promoted by High Rank and managed by Egis Klimas. England’s Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) is promoted by Queensberry Promotions. The 2 are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively by The Ring, which might put its vacant championship at stake.
That’s IF the battle occurs.
The order comes simply 4 days after Alimkhanuly defended his IBF middleweight title in a ninth-round stoppage of New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KOs). Their Oct. 4 conflict was ordered by the IBF and received by No Restrict Boxing by way of purse bid. Alimkhanuly was pressured to journey to Sydney, Australia in consequence.
There was a dispute within the build-up and on battle night time over the precise stakes. Alimkhanuly holds the IBF and WBO titles. Nonetheless, Mikhailovich’s staff requested to solely battle for the IBF belt in hopes to weaken Alimkhanuly by way of committing to a same-day rehydration restrict. The plan failed miserably, as Alimkhanuly overwhelmed his necessary challenger.
Nonetheless, the WBO was dissatisfied in its Oct. 3 ruling being ignored the place the decision got here for its title to be at stake. Alimkhanuly was subsequently despatched a Present Trigger discover to justify remaining champion. He’ll now must subsequent face Sheeraz to keep up that standing.
Sheeraz has stopped every of his final fifteen opponents in his speedy ascension by the ranks. The 25-year-old from Ilford, Essex has emerged as a favourite of the Riyadh Season circuit, which has housed his final two wins.
In his most up-to-date begin, Sheeraz tore by streaking contender Tyler Denny (19-3-3, 1 KO) to win the European (EBU) middleweight title. The bout got here as a part of Riyadh Season’s UK debut on Sept. 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Curiously, he was ordered to subsequent defend versus Denzel Bentley, a previous Alimkhanuly opponent who occurs to be the WBO’s No. 2 middleweight contender.
As beforehand reported by The Ring, rumors have swirled of a Sheeraz-Bentley conflict in retailer for later this yr. Such a battle could be anticipated to return with at the least the interim WBO middleweight title at stake.
Nonetheless, this ordered bout between Alimkhanuly and Sheeraz must be resolved a method or one other, earlier than making every other future plans.
