Sheeraz Drops WBO Belt as Janibek Pursues Title

Hamzah Sheeraz surrendered his WBO super middleweight title on Tuesday. He refused to face Janibek Alimkhanuly, who tested positive for meldonium. This move ends a brief reign and sparks debate over fairness in boxing.

Ade Oladipo defended the decision on his channel. He argued that forcing a champion to fight a suspended opponent is absurd. The sport, he said, is in a crazy place if this is the standard.

Principle over purse

Oladipo’s argument rests on clean sport. He claims Sheeraz acted on principle. If Janibek served his ban, he should work his way up. Not jump straight to a title shot.

However, the financial stakes complicate the narrative. Queensberry won the purse bid at just over $1 million. Sheeraz was set to earn roughly $750,000. He dropped the belt after his promoter secured the fight.

A narrow path to gold

Sheeraz’s route to the belt was direct. He fought once at 168 pounds. He stopped Edgar Berlanga. That was enough to earn a vacant title shot.

His first defense was harder. Simon Zachenhuber took him 12 rounds in Jeddah. Sheeraz won by majority decision. The scores were 116–112, 115–113, and 114–114. That fight raised questions about his resilience.

Market value at risk

Sheeraz has one fight left on his Queensberry deal. He is nearing free agency. A loss to a southpaw like Janibek would hurt his market value. His leverage would vanish overnight.

Promoters like Matchroom and Zuffa Boxing would lower their bids. A fighter with a shattered chin commands less. Sheeraz and his team likely calculated this risk. They chose to protect their record and future earnings.