Hamzah Sheeraz has been called out to defend his super middleweight world championship.
Sheeraz has held the WBO super middleweight title since May 2026 when he stopped Alem Begic inside two rounds. He has since defended it against Simon Zachenhuber who he beat on points in July and has also got good wins on his record against the likes of Liam Williams and Edgar Berlanga.
Back in August he was ordered to defend his title against former unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, who has won all 17 of his contests, 12 of them by way of knockout, and was a decorated amateur.
In a new post on X, Alimkhanuly has called on Saudi chief Turki Alalshikh to help him make his next fight.
“Turki brother, I’ve always considered you one of the best in the boxing world. Have you thought about making the Hamza vs. me fight happen? If you remember, when we met, you told me you had big plans! I think the time has come. @Turki_alalshikh”
The purse bid hearing for this fight is scheduled for today, September 16, and is rather controversial as Alimkhanuly has never fought at 168lbs and was elevated to mandatory challenger status based on his ranking at middleweight where he was a former unified champion.
Although he failed a VADA anti-doping test in December 2025, he was never stripped of his title, and Sheeraz has previously shared his anger about being ordered to face him. As the champion in this division, Sheeraz will have any winning purse bid split 75/25 in his favour.
