WBO order Alimkhanuly vs. Sheeraz middleweight title fight

ZHANIBEK Alimkhanuly has been ordered to defend his WBO 160-pound crown against Britainโ€™s Hamzah Sheeraz. An official letter sent out by the organisation explained how both parties -Alimkhanulyโ€™s representatives Top Rank and Queensberry for Sheeraz- are now obligated to reach a deal over the next 15 days. It will go to purse bids if no agreement can be reached.

โ€œThe minimum acceptable bid for the WBO Middleweight Division is $200,000,โ€ stated the communication, sent out by WBO chairman Luis Batista Salas. The champion, Alimkhanuly, who also holds the IBF strap, was last seen defeating Andrei Mikhailovich in Australia by ninth-round stoppage.

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Sheeraz after his most recent win against Austin Williams (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Sheeraz has also been active lately, seeing off Tyler Denny in two rounds on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard, snatching Dennyโ€™s European crown in the process. Interestingly, the EBU recently ordered Sheeraz to defend his new belt against Denzel Bentley who previously lost in a 12-round world title tilt to Alimkhanuly.ย 

Alimkhanuly declared his desire for further unifications after dismissing the game but limited New Zealander Mikhailovich. Fellow champions Lara and Adamesโ€™ names were mentioned in the post-fight interview. Sheeraz presents a different threat entirely. Young, fresh, and a heavy puncher with dimensions that match the Kazakh, Zhanibek will raise his game in line with the threat.

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