Uncertain time ahead for Sheffield champ Shakiel Thompson

Handsworth's IBF European champion is due to fight a ten-rounder at the Park Community Arena, Sheffield this weekend.

But, in the background, negotiations had been going on for a battle with Kazakhstan's Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, the IBF world middleweight kingpin.

The 27-year-old has only had 13 professional fights, so it would have been an amazing opportunity so soon into his career.

However talks with Alimkhanuly's camp appeared to have hit a stalemate.

The boxingscene website claims: "The money on offer for the 13-0 (9 KOs) Thompson, who is No. 9 with the WBO, was not enough and a source close to the Sheffield southpaw said Thompson has been advised to take a different route."

Alimkhanuly has another date on a show in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 5.

Thompson can't afford to give the disappointment much headroom.

No fight can be taken for granted and unexpected results can happen, as instanced last Friday by Rotherham's Junaid Bostan's draw against London based Bilal Fawaz.

So Thompson will need his steely focus on Friday's GBM Sports show - although the name of that opponent is equally confusing.

It was going to be Tanzania's Hamisi Maya, but that is no longer the case.

And there are other blanks yet to be filled in, on the bill.

At the moment it stands at:

Daniel Blenda Dos Santos (France) 22 1 0 v Shakan Pitters (Birmingham) 19 2 0 EBU European, Light Heavy title fight.

Shakiel Thompson (Sheffield) 13 0 0 v TBA, light heavy

Taz Nadeem (Rotherham) 4 0 0 Rotherham v Jaskirat Singh (India) 5 3 1, super middle

Naphtali Nembhard 4 0 0 (Sheffield) v Harry Matthews 17 90 7, (York) super middle

Calvin Moyo (Doncaster) 1 0 0 v Berman Sanchez 31 59 4, middle

Reece Mould (Doncaster) 19 3 0 v TBA welter

Donte Dixon (Sheffield) 7 0 0 v TBA light

Lewis Booth (Doncaster) 15 1 0 v TBA welter

Nohman Hussain (Sheffield) 5 0 0 v TBA super feather

Edward Hardy (Doncaster) 2 0 0 v TBA super feather

Mykyle Ahmed (Sheffield) 2 0 0 v TBA bantam

Amaar Akbar (Batley) 8 0 0 v TBA super welter.

Meanwhile, Sheffield's Dalton Smith 17-0 (13 KOs) has elected to vacate his EBU European Super Lightweight title, a trinket he only picked up on January 25, courtesy of an easy win over Frenchman Walid Ouizza, at Nottingham Arena.

It is part of his strategy to move to a shot at the WBC title; the Steel City man is currently number two in the ranking and could challenge champion Alberto Puello.