Sheeraz On Janibek Mandatory: 'Let's Crack On'

Hamzah Sheeraz says he will fight Janibek Alimkhanuly as long as the money is right.

The WBO super middleweight champion told The Ring's Rick Reeno on the Mr. Verzace Podcast that he accepts the mandatory defense ordered by the sanctioning body last month, despite his earlier objections to Alimkhanuly's status after a positive doping test. "We'll fight, we accept the fight. Let's crack on," Sheeraz said.

Purse Bid Set For September 16

A purse bid is scheduled for Wednesday with a $300,000 minimum acceptable offer. Sheeraz has not received a private deal from DAZN, Queensberry, or Top Rank. The WBO ordered the bout on August 14 after naming Alimkhanuly the mandatory challenger following his move up from middleweight, where he tested positive for meldonium before a canceled unification with Erislandy Lara.

Sheeraz, who scraped past Simon Zachenhuber by majority decision on July 25, said his willingness to overlook the Kazakh's doping suspension has limits. "I believe it's going to come to a point where the money is gonna be considerably low for the biggest fight of my career," he told Reeno. "To me, it doesn't really make sense. Especially being a champion as well."

The IBF stripped Alimkhanuly of his middleweight title after the positive test. The WBO allowed him to remain champion at 160 pounds before he announced his jump to super middleweight in July. Sheeraz said he hopes for a strong offer but suspects the financial terms will fall short.

Source: ringmagazine.com