LONDON, England — Frank Warren has described Hamzah Sheeraz as "the face of modern Britain" and says victory over Edgar Berlanga can make him into a star overnight.

The 26-year-old makes his American debut on July 12 when he faces New York-born Berlanga at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, to headline The Ring III event.

It is Sheeraz’s first outing since he drew with Carlos Adames in an unsuccessful tilt for the WBC middleweight title on Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That result brought an end to his 21-fight winning run, his 15 straight knockouts and also his time at 160lbs.

But there would be no super middleweight tune-up with Sheeraz straight back into the fire against Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs), whose only defeat came against Canelo Alvarez. And that decision, according to Warren, is a measure of Sheeraz's desire to become one of the new faces of boxing.

“He’s coming up in weight and he’s straight in,” Warren said. “He's not like, 'Llet me have a gimme fight to bed in.' He's gone straight in the deep end.

“I know he's got the capabilities and qualities to do what he can do. It's a tough fight. He's in with Berlanga, who fancies himself. He's an on-top bully type of fighter. So Hamzah has got to go out there, in his backyard and be the boss, and put him in his place.”

Sheeraz’s position as one of the most pre-eminent faces of British boxing had come as a result of the knockout hot streak, particularly since his move up to middleweight in 2022. In the seven 160lb fights before Adames, five ended inside two rounds with some of his vanquished opponents stopped by a jab.

If he can find a finish against Berlanga in what is his American debut, Warren believes the rest of the world will sit up and take note.

“He'd be a star,” Warren said. “He's the face of modern Britain. That's what he is. He's clean cut. He's cool. He looks the part and he can fight, which is the most important thing. And if he comes through this, he can do some marvellous things.

“This event is good for his profile and it's going to be a big night for us.”

It has also been suggested that a victory for Sheeraz could open the door for a colossal showdown with Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion.

The Mexican, who will fight Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, has made no secret of his desire to one day fight in the UK and is 8-0 against British fighters.

“I’d love the Canelo fight for him,” Warren said, when asked if that was the plan should Sheeraz beat Berlanga. “We would do that fight wherever it made most sense.”