Janibek Alimkhanuly and Hamzah Sheeraz now have until Nov. 4 to reach a deal for their WBO-ordered middleweight title fight.
The sanctioning body announced that both Top Rank (Alimkhanuly) and Queensberry (Sheeraz) petitioned for an extension of the negotiation period, which was originally set to end today and would have been ordered to a purse bid.
Janibek (16-0, 11 KO) defended his WBO and IBF titles on Oct. 4 in Australia, thrashing Andrei Mikhailovich en route to a ninth round stoppage. Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KO) is seen as a possible savior for the ice cold middleweight division, as the 25-year-old has gone 3-0 this year with stoppage wins over Liam Williams, Austin Williams, and Tyler Denny, picking up the European and Commonwealth titles and marking his territory as a serious contender in a division that sorely needs them.
Janibek, 31, would be another significant step up for the Brit, while Sheeraz clearly brings more threat to the ring than the likes of Mikhailovich, Vincenzo Gualtieri, or Steven Butler, who have been Janibek’s three most recent opponents.
Janibek has also said that he wants to fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 lbs.