Hamzah Sheeraz Primed To Inject Some Excitement Into Flailing Middleweight Division
For all the deserved attention and praise Daniel Dubois received for crushing Anthony Joshua in London last weekend, there was another blistering performance from Hamzah Sheeraz that has gone comparatively under the radar.
In the final fight on the undercard before Dubois knocked out Joshua in the fifth round to retain his IBF heavyweight world title, Sheeraz destroyed Tyler Denny in just over five minutes to become the European middleweight champion.
There was little surprise that Sheeraz’s achievement was relegated to a footnote amid Dubois’ remarkable victory over AJ, who, let’s not forget, was the comfortable favorite heading into the headline fight before getting absolutely decimated.
Sheeraz, on the other hand, was a massive favorite and lived up to his billing by overwhelming an opponent who had made a habit recently of upsetting the odds. The gulf this time, though, was far too wide to overcome for Denny.
It was another explosive display from a fighter who has enjoyed a breakthrough 2024 that has seen him move onto the cusp of world title shots. Sheeraz (21-0-0 17 KO) began his year in February by blasting former world title challenger Liam Williams out in less than a round. This was the same Williams who took Chris Eubank Jr the distance two years earlier.
Sheeraz Set For World Titles In 2025
Four months later, Sheeraz returned to the ring as the captain of Team Queensberry in the 5-vs-5 event against Matchroom Boxing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Taking on fellow unbeaten top-ranked contender Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (no relation to Liam) in the toughest challenge of his career, Sheeraz weathered the occasional storm before securing an emphatic stoppage in the 11th round.
Sheeraz and his team had hoped that performance would lead to a world title fight, but with no opportunity forthcoming, the 25-year-old signed on to challenge Denny, which would not only provide another belt to add to his collection but give him a massive platform on which to perform in front of a global audience.
With his focus now turning to 2025, world championship fights are inevitable – if any of the current champions are willing to entertain a bout against such a formidable challenger.
It was reported that unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, who holds the WBO and IBF belts, rejected a $1.5 million offer to fight Sheeraz on the Dubois-Joshua undercard. He will instead defend his IBF strap against Andrei Mikhailovich for $200,000 on October 4 in Sydney, Australia (the WBO refused to sanction the fight).
Sheeraz, who is the No. 1-ranked contender with the WBO, could look to Carles Adames, the WBC champion and where he is also the top-ranked challenger, while WBA title holder Erislandy Lara is coming off a successful title defense against Danny Garcia earlier this month and could be another eventual option.
Sheeraz Is ‘Something Special’
Whichever title Sheeraz ultimately fights for, he can’t be ignored forever, and the four major sanctioning bodies would do well to get the British fighter challenging for their middleweight belts as soon as possible.
Middleweight is one of boxing’s eight glamour divisions and has a storied history of legendary champions who made their mark at 160lbs, but there hasn’t been that much glamour in recent years, ever since Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and his great rival Gennady Golovkin exited the division.
Sheeraz, with his rapidly increasing profile and his explosive, fan-friendly style, could be just the fighter to revive the division – and several former world champions are in agreement.
“This kid’s got it all. He’s something special with that size and power. He’s ready for the champions right now,” said Chris Algieri, a former super-lightweight world champion.
“When you see champions ducking and dodging, you already know what they think of Sheeraz,” said Timothy Bradley Jr, the former two-weight world title holder. “He can fight on the inside, the outside. He’s very crafty and youthful. He will be a nightmare when one of these guys step up to face him.”
The Fighter To Revive Middleweight Division?
“I don’t think we’re putting too much on him – 160 has some pretty solid contenders and it does have some difficult champions to beat,” former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said. “Sheeraz does look like the man who’ll be around for a while (from) the way he’s been winning with eye-catching power in a weight class that’s always been glamorous. He’s so dangerous.”
At 6ft 3in and broad, Sheeraz is big and tall for a middleweight, and he uses his physical strengths to his advantage. He possesses an elite-level jab that any fighter would want; a stiff, strong jab that sets up shots and distance but can also send opponents to the canvas.
He has speed in both hands and showed against Ammo Williams that he has the athleticism and endurance to maintain his power and intensity late into competitive fights. Little wonder that his promoter, Frank Warren, has compared him to Tommy Hearns.
With the middleweight division crying out for a fighter who can boost interest among fans – much the way Artur Beterbiev and Dimitrii Bivol have done at light-heavy – Sheeraz has all the attributes to become a global star.
