An ordered fight between WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz vs Janibek Alimkhanuly is officially back in play. A couple of years ago the WBO had ordered Alimkhanuly, who held their middleweight title at the time, make a mandatory defense against Sheeraz, and while the negotiation period for that fight was extended for a time, Sheeraz would ultimately withdraw from those talks.
Fast forward two years and now one weight class higher, and now the WBO is ordering Sheeraz to make a title defense of his 168 lb title against Alimkhanuly as the mandatory challenger, as reported by ESPN. The pair have just over a couple of weeks to reach terms for the fight before it gets ordered to purse bid.
Alimkhanuly stirred up some controversy late last year when he tested positive for a banned substance that scrapped a planned fight against Erislandy Lara, but he has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing. Alimkhanuly would ultimately be stripped by the IBF and suspended by the WBO, but that suspension officially came to an end last month, with the WBO issuing this statement as their rationale for positioning him for this title opportunity at 168.
“Prior to his suspension, Mr. Alimkhanuly fully cooperated with the WBO investigative and administrative process,” a WBO letter, dated Aug. 7, said. “He submitted the relevant medical documentation and information in support of his defense. The Committee considered that Mr. Alimkhanuly was a first-time offender, had an otherwise impeccable personal and professional record, and had not previously failed an anti-doping test or violated WBO Rules.”
For now we’ll have to wait and see how private negotiations hold up between the fighters and whether a purse bid is ultimately necessary.