WBO Orders Sheeraz vs Janibek — The Fight That Fell Apart Once Already

The WBO has ordered Hamzah Sheeraz to defend his super middleweight title against Janibek Alimkhanuly, per ESPN — and if that pairing sounds familiar, it should. Roughly two years ago the sanctioning body ordered a near-identical fight one division down, with Alimkhanuly then holding the 160lb belt and Sheeraz as his mandatory. That one never happened. Sheeraz walked away from talks after the negotiation window had already been stretched.

This time the roles have flipped along with the weight class. Sheeraz, 23-0-1 with 19 knockouts and now the WBO's 168lb champion, is the man being told to defend. Alimkhanuly is the mandatory challenger. Both sides have just over a couple of weeks to strike a deal before the belt gets dragged into a purse bid.

The Suspension That Reset Everything

Alimkhanuly's path back to a title shot ran through a doping saga. Late last year he tested positive for a banned substance, which torpedoed a planned bout with WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (32-3-3, 19 KO). He was stripped by the IBF and suspended by the WBO, and has denied any intentional wrongdoing throughout.

That suspension lapsed last month, and the WBO didn't just quietly reinstate him. In a letter dated Aug. 7, the organization laid out its reasoning: Alimkhanuly cooperated with the investigation, supplied medical documentation, was a first-time offender, and had an otherwise clean record with no prior failed tests. In short, they gave him the benefit of the doubt and a straight line to a title.

Why Sheeraz Should Want This

Sheeraz is on a serious roll. His last outing was a second-round stoppage of Alem Begic, keeping his finish rate right around the 80 percent mark across his unbeaten run. He's a young champion in a division stacked with money fights, so a mandatory against a two-time middleweight titleholder isn't the payday most champions would circle first.

But the story writes itself. Sheeraz once bailed on this exact matchup. Ducking it a second time — now as the belt-holder — wouldn't play well, and the purse bid clock means he can't stall indefinitely. Whether the two camps settle it privately or the WBO forces the issue, the fight that got away in 2024 is suddenly very much alive again.