Hamzah Sheeraz became the WBO super-middleweight champion back in May, but the towering Berkshire-born knockout artist has now admitted that he could soon vacate his world title rather than face his newly-anointed mandatory challenger.
Sheeraz knocked out Alem Begic on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven undercard to claim the vacant WBO crown, which was held by Terence Crawford until ‘Bud’ chose to retire.
Last month, Sheeraz made a first defence of the belt, decisioning Simon Zachenhuber less than eight weeks after winning the title.
In the aftermath, Sheeraz called for a showdown with Jacob Bank, who impressed in a victory over Pawel August elsewhere on the undercard, but it seems as though the Danish contender will not get his shot.
Instead, the WBO have installed Janibek Alimkhanuly as Sheeraz’s new mandatory challenger, despite the fact that the former unified middleweight world champion failed a drugs test ahead of a planned unification clash with Erislandy Lara back in December.
‘Qazaq Style’ had been handed a 12-month suspension of the sport, but the ban was lifted last month ahead of a move up to super-middleweight due to the fact that he was a first-time offender with a clean prior record, who fully cooperated and submitted medical proof.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sheeraz fumed about the WBO’s decision whilst revealing that he has been unable to contact the sanctioning body and is considering vacating the title.
“Ever since I won the title, we have tried to sit down with them and my team has reached out, but we have got nothing back.
“That [vacating the title] is something that I will have to discuss with my team. What they have done, it pushes you into that corner of me eventually thinking like that and, if I was to do that, it would be totally justifiable.
“I keep banging on about morals and that is what it is down to. It is down to being a clean athlete, being someone who stands for clean athletes and one who is true to that and represents that.”
Sheeraz – who called the mandatory order ‘corruption’ – said that another route could be a possible unification with one of his fellow super-middleweight world champions, which would allow him to temporarily bypass his mandated scrap with Alimkhanuly.
“I think that [a unification fight] overrides it but I could be wrong, but that is another option.”
Canelo Alvarez will challenge Christian Mbilli for the WBC marble on October 31, whilst Osleys Iglesias attempts a first defence of the IBF super-middleweight throne against Oliver Zaren earlier that month.
As a result, that may mean that Mexico’s WBA super-middleweight champion Jaime Munguia could be Sheeraz’s only option for an immediate unification.
