“What a shame”: Hamzah Sheeraz branded ‘scared’ for vacating title rather than fighting mandatory

British boxer Hamzah Sheeraz has vacated his WBO world super-middleweight title after refusing to face mandatory challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly. The decision comes after Queensberry Promotions won a purse bid hearing with a bid of $1,001,809, which would have given Sheeraz a 75/25 split. Sheeraz had previously criticized the WBO for allowing Alimkhanuly to become the mandatory challenger at 168lbs following a positive test for meldonium.

Following the relinquishment, Alimkhanuly's manager, Egis Klimas, publicly accused Sheeraz of being scared to fight the Kazakh contender. With the title now vacant, the WBO is expected to order Alimkhanuly to face the next highest-ranked contender, Diego Pacheco, for the championship belt.