Hamzah Sheeraz has walked away from his WBO super middleweight title almost as quickly as he claimed it.
Just two days after Queensberry Promotions won a purse bid for a mandatory defence against former middleweight titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly, the unbeaten Brit has vacated the belt, a move the WBO confirmed in a statement after being informed by Sheeraz’s team.
A Brief Reign, Big Decisions
On paper, it looks brutal. Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KO) picked up the vacant strap on May 23 against Alem Begic, then turned it back against Simon Zachenhuber on July 25. Two fights, two wins, one world title reign that will barely register in the sport’s long memory.
The performances came on big cards, but the reign itself never had time to breathe. No defining challenger. No signature night. Just a belt, a couple of defences, and then a cold, calculated decision to let it go.
And that’s the key word here: calculated.
Queensberry’s winning purse bid came in at just over $1 million. Once the split is applied, Sheeraz stood to earn somewhere in the region of $750,000 to face Janibek. Good money, but not life-changing in an era where risk is weighed against far more than belts and legacy. Janibek is a serious operator, arguably the most dangerous opponent Sheeraz would have faced outside of Carlos Adames, with whom he had to settle for a disputed draw.
When you can likely make similar or better money against softer opposition, the business logic is ruthless but clear.
The Janibek Question
There’s another layer that hangs over this situation: Janibek’s status.
Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KO) hasn’t boxed since April 2025, yet he was installed as the WBO’s mandatory challenger at super middleweight despite a failed drug test last year that cost him the IBF middleweight title. The IBF stripped him. The WBO did not.
That contrast has not gone unnoticed. To some, the idea that Janibek can roll straight into a mandatory position at a new weight after that episode looks absurd. For Sheeraz and his team, it adds an extra shade to an already high-risk assignment. You take on a tough, avoided fighter, coming off a drug-testing controversy, for a purse that doesn’t blow the doors off financially. Strip away the romanticism, and it’s not hard to see why they walked.
With Sheeraz gone from the picture, Janibek now moves into pole position to fight for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. The opponent is to be confirmed, but the queue is already forming.
A New Race for the WBO Belt
For now, Janibek sits at No. 1 in the WBO rankings at 168 lbs, with a line of hungry contenders behind him.
- Diego Pacheco follows at No. 2,
- with Jacob Bank,
- Kevin Sadjo,
- Armando Resendiz,
- Bektemir Melikuziev,
- Edgar Berlanga,
- Milorad Zizic,
- Hebert Sousa,
- and Bernardin Jakaj rounding out the top 10.
That list offers a mix of rising names, punchers with momentum, and fighters looking for a breakthrough platform.
The title Sheeraz has just dropped will not stay vacant for long. The politics will move quickly now. Matchmakers will circle. Promoters will jostle to get their man into that final slot opposite Janibek.
Sheeraz, meanwhile, steps away from the alphabet maze with his unbeaten record intact and the freedom to chase different opportunities, on his own terms, in a sport where timing and leverage often matter more than the belt around your waist.
