Hearn On Sheeraz Vacating Title: 'You Better Have A Plan'

Eddie Hearn says Hamzah Sheeraz made a tough call in vacating his world title rather than face Janibek Alimkhanuly, but warned the middleweight must have a clear next move.

The Matchroom promoter told Ring Magazine he feels conflicted about Sheeraz walking away from a mandatory defense against Alimkhanuly, a fighter who returned straight to contention after serving a six-month drug suspension. Hearn questioned whether a previously banned athlete should jump back into mandatory status without proving himself first, per Bad Left Hook.

Hearn Questions Low Purse and Alimkhanuly's Return

Hearn acknowledged that Queenberry's purse bid for the fight fell within commercial range but said the money was not enough given the risk Alimkhanuly poses. "It's not a lot of money to fight Janibek, who's a very good fighter," he said. "I think given where Hamzah is…I get it. But now it's going to be really important — what do you do now? You better have a plan."

The promoter praised Sheeraz for carrying himself with class and called him a great fighter, though he admitted the middleweight performed poorly in his last outing, a stop-start affair that did not showcase his best work.

Hearn also addressed Conor Benn's one-sided loss to Ryan Garcia, saying the British welterweight is a good fighter but may not be world class. He discussed plans for a Jaron Ennis unification with Eimantas Stanionis, likely in late November or December, and said he found Terence Crawford's recent social media taunts of Ennis strange. "I just feel like Terence, you're either retired or you're not," he said.

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• Bad Left Hook — ‘You better have a plan’: Eddie Hearn reacts to Hamzah Sheeraz vacating title and more