Tim Bradley has branded Hamzah Sheeraz’s withdrawal from the Janibek Alimkhanuly fight a duck, arguing that his narrow win over southpaw Simon Zachenhuber showed exactly why facing the WBO champion became too dangerous.
Sheeraz defeated Zachenhuber by a 12-round majority decision in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but one judge scored it 114-114. The other cards were 116-112 and 115-113. Janibek brings heavier hands, tighter technique and considerably more championship experience than Zachenhuber.
“Hamzah Sheeraz gave up his title because he didn’t want to face Janibek,” Bradley said on his YouTube channel. “You just fought a southpaw to get ready for his ass. Why the shift now? You didn’t look good your last fight against the southpaw. This looks like a duck. Everybody is afraid to get their ass whooped.”
The financial side may have made Sheeraz’s decision easier. Queensberry won the purse bid with an offer of $1,001,809, narrowly beating Top Rank’s $820,000. Under a standard 75-25 division, Sheeraz would have received roughly $250,000.
That was the market price once Turki Alalshikh declined to inflate the purse. Turki had little reason to spend several million dollars arranging a fight he may have believed Sheeraz would lose. If Hamzah is being positioned for Canelo Alvarez or a future deal with Zuffa Boxing, a punishing defeat against Janibek would reduce his value before either opportunity materialized.
Bradley also questioned if Sheeraz’s withdrawal was connected to his promotional future.
“Does it have something to do with getting out your contract? Just come out and say it. Say, ‘I don’t want to be with Queensberry anymore. I want to be with Zuffa.’”
Sheeraz is understood to owe Queensberry one more fight. The promoter cannot waste that date on an unknown opponent or obvious soft target. Such a matchup would sell few tickets while allowing Queensberry to finance an advertisement for a fighter preparing to leave.
A recognizable opponent creates the opposite issue. Diego Pacheco, Jacob Bank, Osleys Iglesias and Lester Martinez would bring credibility, but each presents the type of danger Sheeraz just rejected by walking away from Janibek.
If Hamzah possesses contractual approval over opponents, Queensberry faces a difficult squeeze. It needs a name capable of selling tickets, while Sheeraz can refuse anyone talented enough to threaten his anticipated move. That leaves a narrow lane between a commercially useless opponent and a fighter Hamzah may not agree to face.
