Hamzah Sheeraz surrendered his WBO belt the instant mandatory challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly stepped up to claim his shot. The abandonment came mere days after Queensberry secured promotional rights through a purse bid, proving this choice had nothing to do with promotional gridlock.
Ring Magazine confirmed Sheeraz officially vacated after Queensberry tabled the winning bid of $1,001,809. Top Rank submitted $820,000, which handed Sheeraz’s own promoter total control over every detail of the event.
Those figures exposed the true commercial worth of this pairing. Neither promoter viewed the bout as box-office gold, and zero outside investors showed up with huge checks. Whining about the purse split looks ridiculous when the open market spoke so clearly.
“This dude talking about money, that’s why he vacated the belt! But in reality, that’s all he’s worth! That dude don’t sell s***, and his biggest fight purse was me. Nobody paying him more than a M. Even with a world title he ain’t nothing,” Edgar Berlanga posted on X
The belt functioned as convenient decorative hardware right until a fearsome southpaw stood opposite in the rankings. Once the trinket stopped serving as a glossy marketing tool and demanded pure combat, Sheeraz tossed it aside like trash.
Janibek represents a nightmare equation for any boxer trying to protect an inflated profile. The Kazakh brings surgical accuracy, power, and a tricky southpaw attack. Defeating him earns praise from diehard purists, yet it moves very few pay-per-view units with casual British sports crowds. Suffering a brutal beating destroys Sheeraz’s drawing appeal before massive domestic paydays materialize.
Frank Warren eliminated every conceivable promotional excuse by putting actual money on the table, outbidding Bob Arum, and locking down the venue, date, and terms. Sheeraz cannot blame rival factions or outside interference. His own promoter handed him the ring on a silver platter, and Sheeraz still bolted for the exits.
Surrendering the hardware frees his schedule for an easier fight that offers fatter checks and minimal physical punishment. Matching him against Chris Eubank Jr. or another familiar domestic name sells out London arenas without forcing him to decipher Janibek’s lethal puzzle.
Official Statement: Hamzah Sheeraz has voluntarily relinquished his WBO Super Middleweight World Championship.
The WBO World Championship Committee will issue its ruling on the division on Monday, September 21. pic.twitter.com/vTVq2pL7Qm
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) September 18, 2026
Management can celebrate the cynical financial maneuver, but the optics are terrible. Sheeraz exploited the WBO belt to puff up his name, then dropped it the second a genuine killer arrived to take it.
The entire move reveals a fighter maneuvering purely for self-preservation and a cash grab before anyone cracks his chin.
Walking away from the belt right after Frank Warren won the purse bid shows Sheeraz knows exactly what he is. If he had real confidence in his ability, he would have defended the WBO belt against Janibek, unified against another titlist, and forced Canelo Alvarez to face him on champion-to-champion terms. Bailing on the title proves the hardware was only an ornament.
Chasing Canelo through Zuffa is a pipe dream with a short shelf life. Canelo is 36, slipping, and has a dangerous test right in front of him against Christian Mbilli on October 31. Mbilli brings non-stop pressure and heavy artillery. If Mbilli upsets Canelo or tears him up so badly that the Mexican superstar contemplates retirement, Sheeraz’s golden ticket disappears overnight. Signing with Dana White on the assumption of landing a broken, post-prime Canelo is an enormous gamble for a guy whose drawing power in America is nonexistent.
Warren should not give Sheeraz a free pass on his way out the door. Handing an unloyal fighter a hand-picked, tailor-made opponent just lets him walk into a rival stable intact. The promotional playbook dictates feeding an outgoing asset to a live dog who stays with the house.
Putting Sheeraz in with an animal like Osleys Iglesias would be poetic justice. Iglesias is a sledgehammer southpaw who would expose Sheeraz’s defensive holes in three rounds. If not Iglesias, then Diego Pacheco or Lester Martinez would drag him into deep water and drown him. Martinez possesses the inside work and punch output that Sheeraz hates dealing with, while Pacheco has the height, range, and real power to test that suspect beard.
Sheeraz almost certainly has match-making approval or rejection clauses in his deal, which explains why he ducked Janibek in the first place. He will run from anyone with a pulse because taking a loss destroys the Zuffa leverage. If Warren cannot force a killer on him, he will likely sit out, run the clock down, and wait for Dana White to write a check based on inflated hype rather than actual ring merit.
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