Hamzah Sheeraz is setting the middleweight scene alight
In a division crying out for a new star, the British middleweight is ready to take centre stage
On Saturday, June 1st, on the epic Matchroom vs Queensbury card in Saudi Arabia, rising British middleweight star Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16KO) put in a career-best performance in what was deemed a 50-50 fight, when he methodically broke down and stopped the emerging prospect, in his own right, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (16-1, 11KO).
This was an excellent learning fight for both men, where 25-year-old Sheeraz was always in command, using his huge 6ft 3in frame and reach to land hard and accurate straight shots from long-range, as well as an impressive selection of both hand uppercuts, plus short right hooks on the inside, one of which caused the first serious breakthrough in the 10th, sending southpaw Williams reeling forwards, right knee touching the canvas.
This was not all one-way traffic though, Sheeraz was kept on his toes throughout from the undefeated American, who never stopped trying, also landing several straight back hands of his own, one of which shook the WBC Silver champ to his boots in the second session.
The emphatic victory was eventually sealed in the 11th, with the brave Williams attempting to rally back whilst the calm and composed Sheeraz beckoned him in with hands high and backed to the ropes.
Once the velocity of Williams onslaught waned, Ilford’s Sheeraz snapped into action, starting with a sharp counter right hand out of his peekaboo guard, before unleashing a savage barrage with both hands to send Williams stumbling back into the opposite corner. Rightly, the referee Mark Lyson had seen enough.
This was a meaningful fight at the top of an exciting weight division which has always been one of the hotly contested and talent rich in the sport of boxing, typically casting a leading light as well as elite repertoire of supporting cast members.
Since the turn of the new century we have seen the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Kelly Pavlik, Sergio Martinez and Gennady Golovklin reign supreme, however uncharacteristically in its current state the division is lacking a superstar attraction to revive to division back to its glory years.
With his 20th victory last Saturday, Sheeraz is now in a prime position to challenge for the full WBC title, which will be formally contested between the Dominican banger Carlos Adames and the seasoned American Terrell Gausha on June 15th.
Carlos Adames is on an impressive run and has earned his shot at the silverware, however the selection of Terrell Gausha in the opposite corner, a man who has repeatedly come up short at world level, down at 154lbs, really typifies the lack of a landscape in the middleweight scene at present.
Other titleholders include a 41-year-old Erislandy Lara (WBA); unbeaten Kazakh Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (WBO & IBF); who it must be said looked a little unspectacular when outpointing Brit Denzel Bentley in a title defence back in November 2022.
The often overlooked IBO world title is currently vacant at middleweight, once held from 2011-2018 by the legendary Gennadiy Golovkin, also held by Canelo, so there is plenty of history and prestige attached to this green and gold belt.
Timing-wise Sheeraz really couldn’t be knocking on the door of world honours at a better time, as Queensbury would surely bite your hand off in an instant for a shot at one any of these current titleholders.
Perhaps the only thing missing for Sheeraz now is to build up his global profile, though last weekend’s performance against a highly-rated American prospect will certainly have introduced him as a worldwide name.
What Sheeraz really needs now, if a world title shot isn’t the immediate offering, is a globally recognisable name. Thankfully, there is one right at home… Chris Eubank Jr.
He is a former IBO super-middleweight champion and currently ranked #1 in their middleweight world rankings. A match between him and the #5 contender would certainly be certifiable.
The enigmatic box office boxer from Brighton is still alive and kicking, most recently pulling off an impressive revenge victory of Liam Smith last September.
Even if this didn’t have a world title on the line, it is by far the biggest fight available to Sheeraz and would help considerably in catapulting his name from hot prospect to one of the legitimately top fighters and attractions in the UK.
As has been the case throughout Eubank’s career, he will go where the money is, but realistically there aren’t an abundance of bigger fights out there for him between 160-168, especially since Golovkin retired.
Anthony Joshua will be headlining a huge Riyadh Season showcase event at Wembley in September and as is the case with all their cards, you can envision an impressive supporting card of genuine 50/50 matchups.
From the outside, a Sheeraz vs Eubank Jr. chief supporting act would surely be the perfect appetiser.
Time will tell what is next for the supremely talented boxer-puncher. However, with a wide-open division of fragmented and winnable world title belts, as well as a household name and fellow British rival coming to the tail end of his career on the lookout for a big-money fight, the stars really do seem aligned for Hamzah Sheeraz to become a global superstar at middleweight.