Hamzah Sheeraz could be set for a difficult next defence of his WBO super-middleweight title.
After being held to a draw in a WBC title bid against Carlos Adames at middleweight in February 2025, Sheeraz has emerged as one of the key players at 168lbs, beginning when he moved up in weight and knocked out Edgar Berlanga.
He claimed the vacant WBO title back in May with a stoppage win over the overmatched Alem Begic, before a defence against Simon Zachenhuber followed in July, with some fans criticising Sheeraz’s performance as he earned a majority decision win.
The 27-year-old may now need a much-improved showing next time around, after it was announced by the WBO that former unified world middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly has been installed as the mandatory challenger for Sheeraz’s title.
Janibek has an unbeaten record of 17-0 with 12 knockouts which led to him becoming unified IBF and WBO middleweight champion, but he hasn’t competed since his stoppage win over Anauel Ngamissengue back in April 2025.
That was due to testing positive for banned substance meldonium ahead of a planned fight with WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara in December, leading him to be stripped of his IBF title.
The WBO took a more lenient approach, as the Kazakh fighter instead vacated his belt and was installed as the number two contender at 168lbs following his suspension, leading to his position as mandatory challenger.
The WBO has ordered Sheeraz and Janibek to enter immediate negotiations, with a 20-day window in place to reach an agreement before it is put to purse bids.
