Hamzah Sheeraz has opted to withdraw from his WBO order against middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri reports that Hamzah (25) has “withdrawn” from his mandatory fight against the IBF/WBO champion Janibek.
It’s not a surprising move as Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) chose not to fight Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs) because he only had a slim chance of success.
The way Janibek looked in his last two fights, dispatching Andrei Mikhailovich and Vincenzo Gualtieri, it was entirely 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 has yet to cut his teeth at 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 ruined forever.
Hamzah’s recent victories
– Tyler Denny
– Austin Williams
– Liam Williams
– Dmytro Mytrofanov
Adames is likely next for Hamzah
Sheeraz will reportedly fight for a world title on February 22, and it will likely be WBC champion Carlos Adames. Adames is considered the weakest link among the three middleweight champions and the ONLY one Sheeraz would have a real chance of beating.
Adames can hit, 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. He is still far too good for Hamzah and will make a mess of his carefully managed career, as it is. Fans in the UK rate Hamzah, but elsewhere he is not well thought of. He seems limited.
The moment the World Boxing Organization announced the Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Hamzah ordered 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 hurt Sheeraz badly 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 in three rounds if it had been Janibek.
Be informed Promoter George Warren of Queensberry Promotions, on behalf of @sheeraz_hamzah confirmed fighter will withdraw the Compulsory against #WBO Middleweight champion @qazaqstyle. Today’s wallet bid has been cancelled. The committee will meet again to determine the next steps. @KlimasBoxing
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) 18 November 2024
