Janibek Alimkhanuly has been hit with a second straight mandatory title defense.

This time, it’s the WBO calling for its top-rated contender to get a shot at the unified middleweight titlist. The sanctioning body has ordered Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly to next face unbeaten contender Hamzah Sheeraz. The ruling was made Tuesday, with both sides given until Oct. 23 to reach a deal.

“Please be advised that the parties… are ordered to commence negotiations,” WBO Championship Committee Chairman Luis Batista-Salas said in a ruling obtained by The Ring. “The camps are granted 15 days to reach an agreement.

“Failure to reach an agreement within the time provided herein will result in this Committee ordering purse bid proceedings.”

Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 knockouts) is promoted by Top Rank and managed by Egis Klimas. England’s Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) is promoted by Queensberry Promotions. The two are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively by The Ring, which would put its vacant championship at stake.

That’s IF the fight happens.

The order comes just four days after Alimkhanuly defended his IBF middleweight title in a ninth-round stoppage of New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KOs). Their Oct. 4 clash was ordered by the IBF and won by No Limit Boxing via purse bid. Alimkhanuly was forced to travel to Sydney, Australia as a result.

There was a dispute in the build-up and on fight night over the exact stakes. Alimkhanuly holds the IBF and WBO titles. However, Mikhailovich’s team requested to only fight for the IBF belt in hopes to weaken Alimkhanuly by means of committing to a same-day rehydration limit. The plan failed miserably, as Alimkhanuly overwhelmed his mandatory challenger.

However, the WBO was disappointed in its Oct. 3 ruling being ignored where the call came for its title to be at stake. Alimkhanuly was subsequently sent a Show Cause notice to justify remaining champion. He will now have to next face Sheeraz to maintain that status.

Sheeraz has stopped each of his last fifteen opponents in his rapid ascension through the ranks. The 25-year-old from Ilford, Essex has emerged as a favorite of the Riyadh Season circuit, which has housed his last two wins.

In his most recent start, Sheeraz tore through streaking contender Tyler Denny (19-3-3, 1 KO) to win the European (EBU) middleweight title. The bout came as part of Riyadh Season’s UK debut on Sept. 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Interestingly, he was ordered to next defend versus Denzel Bentley, a prior Alimkhanuly opponent who happens to be the WBO’s No. 2 middleweight contender.

As previously reported by The Ring, rumors have swirled of a Sheeraz-Bentley clash in store for later this year. Such a fight would be expected to come with at least the interim WBO middleweight title at stake.

However, this ordered bout between Alimkhanuly and Sheeraz would have to be resolved one way or another, before making any other future plans.

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