Edgar Berlanga finally got the opportunity he was looking forward to. Putting the horrible damage he suffered last year behind him, when Hamzah Sheeraz pummeled him to a fifth-round stoppage, Berlanga turned his focus to the latest reports confirming that the Englishman has vacated his WBO title.
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“This dude talking about money—that’s why he vacated the belt! But in reality that’s all he’s worth! That dude don’t sell shit, and his biggest fight purse was me. Nobody paying him more than a M. Even with a world title, he ain’t nothing,” Berlanga tweeted.
His comments came in response to the latest development involving Sheeraz and the WBO-ordered mandatory challenge against former unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Sheeraz had publicly opposed the matchup. Raising questions over Alimkhanuly’s inexperience in the super middleweight class, Sheeraz was particularly skeptical, given that the Kazakh fighter was coming off major doping controversy.
Sheeraz viewed the assignment as high-risk, low-reward.
After the initial negotiations between his promoters, Queensberry and Alimkhanuly’s Top Rank, failed, the WBO ordered a purse bid. This past Wednesday, Queensberry won the bid to stage the fight with a $1,001,809 offer against Top Rank’s $820,000.
The reported split between Sheeraz and Alimkhanuly was 75-25. So, Sheeraz would have received $751,356.75 out of that million-dollar purse had he entered the fight.
This dude talking about money thats why he vacated the belt! But in reality that’s all he’s worth! That dude don’t sell shit and his biggest fight purse was me. Nobody paying him more than a M. Even with a world title he ain’t nothing.
The WBO later confirmed that it received a notice from Queensberry Promotions that Sheeraz had decided not to face Alimkhanuly and would instead vacate his title.
For a young fighter who had steadily built a solid resume and received strong backing from the sport’s powerful names, the decision clearly left many puzzled.
Several prominent figures in boxing were quick to react to the Sheeraz-Alimkhanuly development.
Hamzah Sheeraz’s decision puts him under the spotlight
“Hamzah Sheeraz represents everything that’s wrong with boxing today,” wrote Dan Canobbio. ” Gifted opportunities, decisions, preferential Turki treatment, and inflated self-worth. Ducking Janibek in hopes of the Canelo cash out is nasty work.”
Canobbio’s comments about Sheeraz receiving “preferential” treatment from Alalshikh stem from an incident that unfolded during last year’s title fight against Carlos Adams.
Entering the fight as a heavy favorite, Sheeraz fell short against Adames. Things, however, turned dramatic when Alalshikh left his ringside seat to reportedly inform Sheeraz’s corner that he needs to get his act together. The Riyadh Season head’s move drew intense social media scrutiny at the time.
So, for Sheeraz to have vacated his belt despite the endorsement he had received would come as a surprise to many.
“What a joke,” Dan Rafael said. “Sheeraz vacates the WBO 168 title, unhappy with his cut (about $750k) from the purse bid for his mandatory vs. Janibek. He’d been radically overpaid for his past 2 fights against nobodies, & when the real market spoke, he wasn’t worth near that. What a disappointing title reign & decision.”
The veteran boxing journalist based his argument on the kind of matchups Sheeraz had since he fought Berlanga. After defeating Alem Begić for the vacant WBO super middleweight title, Sheeraz faced Simon Zachenhuber for his first title defense.
The second fight was a closely contested affair in which Sheeraz won by majority decision. Beyond that, Sheeraz faced lesser-known fighters after Berlanga, only to turn down a fight against a well-known name like Janibek. That will only lead to more questions.
Not one to hold back with his words, Rick Glaser said, “Hamzah Sheeraz has officially vacated his @WorldBoxingOrg Super Middle title instead of fighting Janibek for what Sheeraz 75% of the purse was. Sheeraz went back to Frank Warren for more money. That fell on deaf ears.”
“And now Sheeraz will more than likely be taken entirely out of the WBO rankings. As that’s routine in Boxing when you vacate your title for refusing to fight your mandatory challenger. I’m disappointed, as Sheeraz could have made a real statement vs Janibek.”
“Now it’s back to the drawing board & a new career path back to a title shot in one of the other three World Championship sanctioning bodies for Hamzah Sheeraz…”
As a veteran matchmaker in boxing, Glaser knows the inner workings of the sport well. If Sheeraz is removed from WBO’s 168-pound rankings, the move will likely have a huge impact on his career.
First, he will have to work his way through a full slate of fights before landing a shot at a title. Second, and perhaps more significantly, even when he gets another opportunity, it will be viewed skeptically.
Alimkhanuly’s manager, Egis Klimas also did not hold back. “Ha, did I was right, if you scared yesterday, you scared today, and you will be scared tomorrow. Couple things you can’t train in boxing: chin and scariness. Been informed @sheeraz_hamzah vacated WBO title. What ashamed!!!”
“Boxing is honestly so shit now. All the top fighters just tweet each other but won’t fight. And then we’ve got the likes of Hamzah Sheeraz, who has never sold a ticket in his life vacating a belt because he’s got a tough fight and he’s ONLY getting $750k 🗑️,” wrote a user.
The criticism becomes particularly notable when viewed against Sheeraz’s recent career trajectory. After stopping Berlanga, Sheeraz was building up his career.
Though Janibek Alimkhanuly is a formidable fighter, he moved to 168 pounds only recently. That gave Sheeraz an advantage since he is much more experienced in that weight class.
He could have taken up the fight. Had he won, as many expected, a victory over a formidable opponent, who had commanded much fear and admiration, as a middleweight could have established his name and given him greater leverage to command a higher purse when discussions for his next matchup emerged.
To sum it up, most observers seem disappointed with Sheeraz for looking at short-term profitability. He sacrificed long-term benefits while focusing on a low-tier purse. The biggest risk he now faces is to his reputation.