{"id":757910,"date":"2026-09-02T16:24:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/757910\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T16:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:24:20","slug":"janibek-corners-hamzah-sheeraz-before-wbo-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/757910\/","title":{"rendered":"Janibek Corners Hamzah Sheeraz Before WBO Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janibek Alimkhanuly has turned this week\u2019s WBO negotiation deadline into a test of Hamzah Sheeraz\u2019s credibility. Sheeraz must agree to defend his super middleweight title, let the fight proceed toward a purse bid, or surrender the belt and accept the reputational cost that follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more they call me \u2018The Nightmare,\u2019 the more I\u2019m starting to wonder\u2026 am I actually becoming boxers\u2019 real nightmare? In 1-2 days, we\u2019ll find out if he\u2019s a real champion or just a champion by name. Let\u2019s wait and see,\u201d Janibek said on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His message gives no indication that he is interested in step-aside money. If Queensberry intended to buy time for Sheeraz, the subject likely would have come up during the talks. Janibek is talking like a challenger prepared to force the WBO process.<\/p>\n

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Sheeraz has already built a possible defense for refusing the fight. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, he called the WBO\u2019s ruling a \u201cjoke\u201d and criticized the organization for rewarding Janibek after his positive test for meldonium.<\/p>\n

The clean-sport objection has merit. The WBO shortened Janibek\u2019s suspension, allowed him to move directly into a mandatory position at 168 pounds, and selected him over Jacob Bank despite Janibek never fighting in the division. Bank had actively campaigned at super middleweight and petitioned for the same opportunity.<\/p>\n

Still, Sheeraz\u2019s moral position also provides a convenient exit. He can vacate while claiming he refused to cooperate with a sanctioning body order he considers disgraceful, rather than admitting that Janibek presents too much danger for too little money.<\/p>\n

Surrendering the title would harm Sheeraz\u2019s reputation. He won the vacant belt against 39-year-old Alem Begic and struggled through a majority verdict over Simon Zachenhuber in his first defense. Leaving before facing Janibek would support the Kazakh\u2019s claim that Sheeraz was only a \u201cchampion by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facing Janibek carries the greater career risk. He is a precise southpaw counterpuncher with the power to punish the defensive lapses Sheeraz showed against Zachenhuber. A decisive loss would cost Sheeraz his belt and reduce his value for larger fights against Canelo Alvarez or Chris Eubank Jr.<\/p>\n

The history makes an escape harder to disguise. Sheeraz withdrew from negotiations when the WBO ordered him to challenge Janibek at middleweight. After Sheeraz moved to 168 and became champion, Janibek followed him into the division.<\/p>\n

Vacating can be presented as a principled business choice. Getting stopped by the opponent who pursued him through two weight classes would be far worse. Janibek has left Sheeraz to choose which consequence he is willing to accept.<\/p>\n

BoxingNews24.com has delivered independent boxing coverage since 2007, including original news, fight analysis, schedules, and results. Our experienced boxing writers cover major fighters and events worldwide, with published content reviewed by editors for accuracy, clarity, and reliable sourcing.<\/p>\n

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Last Updated on 2026\/09\/02 at 1:45 AM \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Janibek Alimkhanuly has turned this week\u2019s WBO negotiation deadline into a test of Hamzah Sheeraz\u2019s credibility. Sheeraz must…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":757911,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-757910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=757910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/757911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=757910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=757910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}