Hamzah Sheeraz has chosen to withdraw from his WBO-ordered clash against middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri reports that Hamzah, 25, has “withdrawn” from his mandatory fight against IBF/WBO champ Janibek.
It’s not a surprising move because Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) has chosen not to take the fight with Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs) because he only had slim chances of success.
The way Janibek looked in his last two fights, dispatching Andrei Mikhailovich and Vincenzo Gualtieri, it was utterly 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 view as a taller version of Amir Khan.
The 2016 Olympian Janibek is a special talent, considered by many as the creme de la creme #1 fighter in the 160-lb division today. In contrast, Hamzah has yet to 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 be dashed forever.
Hamzah’s Recent Wins
– Tyler Denny
– Austin Williams
– Liam Williams
– Dmytro Mytrofanov
Adames Likely Next For Hamzah
Sheeraz will reportedly fight for a world title on February 22nd, and it’s likely to be WBC champion Carlos Adames. Adames is seen as the weakest link among the three middleweight champions and the ONLY one that Sheeraz would have a real chance of beating.
Adames can punch, so if he can hang in there for six rounds, he’ll likely knock out Sheeraz 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. He’s still far too good for Hamzah and would make a mess of his carefully managed career, such as it is. Fans in the UK rate Hamzah, but elsewhere, he’s not well thought of. He looks 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 doesn’t possess that kind of talent, as we saw in his fight against Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams on June 1st in Riyadh.
Williams badly hurt Sheeraz in that fight, and the only reason he won was because Ammo didn’t continue to attack due to his lack of ability. Hamzah would have been finished off within three rounds if that had been Janibek.
Be advised Promoter George Warren of Queensberry Promotions, on behalf of @sheeraz_hamzah confirmed fighter will withdraw the Mandatory against #WBO Middleweight Champion @qazaqstyle. Today’s purse bid is canceled. Committee will reconvene to determine next steps. @KlimasBoxing
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) November 18, 2024
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