Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions won the purse bid for the Hamzah Sheeraz-Janibek Alimkhanuly WBO super middleweight title bout.
That doesn’t guarantee the fight will happen, however.
Queensberry, who represent champion Sheeraz, reportedly submitted a bid of $1,001,809, to best Top Rank, Alimkhanuly’s promoter, that placed a bid of $820,000.
Whether that proves to be enough for Sheeraz, who as champion would pocket 75 per cent of the winning bid, remains to be seen.
Prior to the bids process, Sheeraz told The Ring: “I believe it’s going to come to a point where the money is going to be considerably low for the biggest fight of my career.
“To me, it doesn’t really make sense, especially being a champion as well… It could be a good offer, I’m praying it is and then it’s simple, the fight goes ahead.
“But I have a funny feeling it won’t be, we’ll see what happens.”
It can be argued that Alimkhanuly hasn’t earned the shot.
The 17-0 (12 KOs) Kazakh, based in Oxnard California, has not competed above the middleweight limit since 2019 and has been inactive since April 2025.
That December, ahead of an aborted fight with Erislandy Lara, he tested positive for banned substance meldonium. The WBO issued a one-year suspension while allowing him to retain his middleweight belt before he signalled his intention to step up a weight class.
Alimkhanuly will regardless represent a step up from Sheeraz’s most recent foes. He won the vacant belt in May against Alem Begic before making his first defense against Simon Zachenhuber two months later.
ESPN reports that November 28 or December 5 have been put forward as preferred dates for the fight, with London or Birmingham in England and New York City as proposed locations.