Sheeraz and Pacheco fail to reach deal, WBO orders purse bid

British fighter Hamzah Sheeraz and American Diego Pacheco have failed to reach an agreement for a fight for the WBO super middleweight title, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has announced.

“Since the parties were unable to reach an agreement within the allotted time, the WBO will initiate the purse bid procedure in accordance with its rules. The official date, time and place will be announced later,” Olivieri said.

On 20 December, the WBO ordered Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) and Diego Pacheco (25-0, 18 KOs) to fight for the vacant title, which became available after Terence Crawford announced his retirement.

If the parties still fail to reach a deal, the fighters will wait for further instructions from the WBO. All promoters registered with the organization will be eligible to participate in the purse bid. The minimum bid is set at 300,000 dollars. The winning amount will be split 50/50 if the fight is staged on neutral ground, or 60/40 in favour of the boxer fighting on the road.