Hamzah Sheeraz opts against fighting Janibek Alimkhanuly, vacates WBO belt
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By James Regan
September 18, 2026
Source: ESPN
Image/Photo Source: UBN
Hamzah Sheeraz has opted against fighting mandatory challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly and instead vacated his WBO super middleweight title, the WBO confirmed on Friday.
Queensberry had won the purse bid for Sheeraz's required title defence against Alimkhanuly with a bid just over $1 million.
Nov. 28 or Dec. 5 were put forward as their preferred dates. London and Birmingham in England and New York in the United States were proposed as locations by the British promoter.
Alimkhanuly's promoter, Top Rank, bid $820,000.
However, the fight will not go ahead after the WBO confirmed Sheeraz has relinquished his title.
"The WBO confirms Queensberry has formally notified the organization in writing that Hamzah Sheeraz, after consideration of the terms resulting from the purse bid proceedings concerning his mandatory championship obligation against Official Mandatory Challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly, has elected not to proceed with the contest and has voluntarily relinquished his WBO Super Middleweight World Championship," the governing body said in a statement.
The WBO ordered Sheeraz to defend his title against Alimkhanuly last month despite the 33-year-old not having fought since April 2025 when he failed a drugs test, testing positive result for meldonium.
Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs), the former IBF and WBO middleweight champion, denied any wrongdoing.
When confirming him as their mandatory challenger, the WBO confirmed Alimkhanuly's one year ban, which was handed down in February, had been "terminated" as of July 10.
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