Even if you weren’t a fan of
Hamzah Sheeraz, you almost had no choice but to show him love.
This past Saturday night on a DAZN Pay-Per-View, at the Louis Armstrong Stadium presented by The Ring,
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) pummeled Edgar Berlanga, leaving him a bloody mess before stopping him in the fifth round.
His performance, unsurprisingly, has been praised by practically everyone. But
Demetrius Andrade doesn’t want Sheeraz’s ego to get too inflated. From his point of view, Berlanga was never the guy he said he was.
Now, had it been himself in there that night, it would’ve been a whole different story.
“He looked pretty good but we all know Edgar isn’t an elite-level fighter,” Andrade told
The Ring recently. “We all know that. I bring much more to the table than Edgar. I’m a two-divisional champion.”
It’s been a while since Andrade has stepped through those ropes. The last time he did, however, it was a night he’d rather forget.
On November 25, 2023, the former Olympian and multiple-time champion suffered the first defeat of his career against David Benavidez.
Being out of sight and out of mind wasn’t his plan though. Andrade claims that he’s still being avoided like the plague and is doing his best to change that.
At the age of 37, Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) doesn’t have the time to work his way up from the bottom. But considering his pedigree and accomplishments, he doesn’t believe he has to.
Getting an immediate world title shot isn’t likely but Sheeraz’s name is hot right now. And while he looked unstoppable against
Berlanga, Andrade looks at his lanky frame unimpressively. Styles like Sheeraz are everywhere in the sport of boxing according to Andrade. What he wants to do now is prove that he’s the better fighter, but before he does, he’s asking for one small favor.
“I just would like one tune-up fight, just to shake the rust off. It’s been a little while since I fought but all I need is one tune-up. After that, I can get in there with Sheeraz. He’s a good fighter but I can beat him.”