Hamzah Sheeraz has told IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly that he will fight him in a unification after dethroning WBC champion Carlos Adames on February 22.
Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) will face Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) on Turki Alalshikh’s massive undercard on Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If Sheeraz wins this fight, there will be plenty of interest in a matchup between him and Janibek (16-0, 11 KOs), who is seen as the king of the 160-pound division by many fans.
It’s hard to imagine Hamzah agreeing to fight Janibek if he gets his hands on the WBC belt, because he’ll be offered a nice payday in an easy fight against Chris Eubank Jr. He won’t want to turn that down for a matchup where he’ll likely be the underdog against Janibek, who can take advantage of his shaky chin.
Sheeraz Eyes Janibek
Janibek has been ignored by the top fighters in the division, who have shown no interest in facing him, even though he holds two titles. His popularity isn’t high enough to attract the biggest names in the mostly barren division to fight him. He is dangerous and has technical skills that are on a different level than most fighters.
“Shake my hand. I will do my business against Carlos Adames, and we will make it happen and unify. As simple as that,” Hamzah Sheeraz told the media, telling IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly that he will fight him once he captures the champion’s WBC 160-pound belt Carlos Adames on February 22. “Also with his manager (Egis Klimas)”.
