Queensberry Wins Purse Bid for Sheeraz

The WBO super-middleweight picture snapped into sharper focus as Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions beat Top Rank in purse bids for Hamzah Sheeraz vs Janibek Alimkhanuly, nudging a previously doubtful fight towards reality.

Queensberry secured the rights with a winning offer just north of $1 million, edging Top Rank’s $820,000 bid, according to ESPN.

It’s not a seismic financial figure by modern standards, but it’s a clear statement of intent: Warren wants this fight, and he wants it on his terms.

He moved quickly, too. Warren outlined London or Birmingham as the preferred staging posts on home soil for Sheeraz, while New York sits on the table as the alternative, a neutral stage with global reach. The working dates are November 28 or December 5, both late-year slots that would drop a world title fight straight into the heart of boxing’s winter schedule.

For now, it’s a purse bid victory and a framework: venue to be locked in, date to be confirmed, contracts to be signed.

But after weeks of doubt over whether Sheeraz–Janibek would even make it to paper, the bout is no longer a rumour or a wish list item. It’s moving onto the calendar.