Why The Queensberry Alimkhanuly-Sheeraz Purse Bid Withdrawal May Be More Than It Seems

Could a somewhat under-the-radar purse bid-related move reveal one of the first signs of Saudi Arabian “in house” boxing business maneuverings?

Per new WBO president Gustavo Olivieri, Queensberry Promotions has opted to withdraw their fighter Hamzah Sheeraz’s status as mandatory contender to middleweight champ Janibek Alimkhanuly.

The decision was made ahead of today’s scheduled purse bid for the rights to stage the world middleweight title defense.

The Queensberry Promotions move has sparked speculation over plans for the 25-year-old Sheeraz as it was previously thought his try for the WBO title was pretty much a sure thing. Even Queensberry head Frank Warren had talked up the title fight for a scheduled Saudi Arabia Riyadh Season card in February.

The strategic withdrawal also stokes rumors regarding unamenable disagreements and differences between the two fighters’ teams.

In September, as Sheeraz stood on the precipice of mandatory challenger status, a rumor was floated to media regarding Alimkhanuly’s team turning down a $1 million offer to fight the young contender– a story Alimkhanuly’s people have vehemently denied.

Since the WBO ordered the Alimkhanuly-Sheeraz title fight in October, there have been several pauses and delays in talks between the two sides, resulting in a 40-day negotiations period for the bout that was supposed to be squared away in 15 days. The Queensberry withdrawal officially ends these discussions, though, and indicates a desire to take another path to a world title.

Sheeraz is currently also ranked no. 1 middleweight contender by the WBC, which recognizes Carlos Adames as their world champ.

A convenient side road to a world title would see the London native still fight for a belt in February, as planned, but against Adames instead of Alimkhanuly.

With Saudi Arabia having invested in a “partnership” with the WBC via their Riyadh Season initiative and Sheeraz serving as an appointed Riyadh Season “ambassador” by decree of Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, the swerve away from Alimkhanuly to Adames seems pretty much a fait accompli. It should also be noted that Sheeraz’s promoter, Queensberry, is currently regarded as the favored lead promoter of the Saudi boxing efforts.

It has been well-established that Turki Alalshikh, who serves as the figurehead of the Saudi boxing effort, is predisposed to writing off those who aren’t sufficiently agreeable to him and his business movements. Names such as Saul Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, and Tim Tszyu have been publicly written off by Alalshikh for offending his sensibilities since his rise to prominence in the sport.

Alimkhanuly is promoted by Top Rank, which is also in a “partnership” deal with Riyadh Season. The Bob Arum-founded promotional company, however, has not been as compliant to Saudi whims as other promotional companies have been.

Could this move away from Alimkhanuly-Sheeraz and possibly to Adames-Sheeraz showcase the first outward efforts from the Saudis to keep their product “in house?” Could this be the first directly traceable instance of them using their purchased influence to coordinate sanctioning bodies, managers, and promoters into benefiting their own house fighters under their own preferred terms?

Time will tell (even if the Saudi-purchased media won’t).

The 31-year-old Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs), from Kazakhstan, is also currently IBF middleweight champion. In his last bout, this past October, he stopped Andrei Mikhailovich in nine rounds in a defense of only his IBF title.

Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) last fought in September, walking through an overmatched Tyler Denny in two rounds on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard. The high-water mark victory thus far in his 7-year professional career came against fellow prospect Austin Williams in this past June’s 5 vs. 5 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.