LONDON —
Hamzah Sheeraz will take his seat at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night knowing the next step in his career will depend entirely on what unfolds between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Canelo will put his undisputed super middleweight title on the line against four-division champion Crawford, who will be vying to produce one of the biggest wins in boxing history.
Should he win, the switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska, will become the only man in history to win undisputed titles in three weight classes following his success at 140 and 147 pounds.
But should Alvarez retain his belts, his next move will be an interesting one given the number of contenders waiting in line for a shot at them.
And the man who could be right at the front of that queue is Riyadh Season ambassador Sheeraz, given the ruthlessness of
his July victory over Edgar Berlanga.
That night, the 26-year-old dropped and stopped Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) inside five rounds in the main event of the
Ring III event at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. It was a beating so vicious that Berlanga’s wife
accused Sheeraz of using loaded wraps though she provided no evidence.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) is
The Ring’s No. 6 super middleweight and is ranked at No. 1 (WBC), second (WBO), No. 4 (WBA )and sixth (IBF). He has not boxed since beating Berlanga and it is unclear whether or not he will risk his position with a potential fight against Alvarez on the horizon.
Should Alvarez come through unscathed Saturday, Sheeraz could get a shot at the Mexican champion in the first quarter of 2026 and his promoter Frank Warren believes his fighter should sit tight.
“It would be a no-brainer,” Warren said, when asked by The Ring. “It all depends on what happens on Saturday. If Canelo comes through, I believe we will make that fight. Let's see what happens this weekend and go from there."
The puncher from Ilford, East London, a former Commonwealth and European middleweight champion, had his first fight at 168 pounds vs. Berlanga. His only world title shot ended in a
split draw against Carlos Adames in February.