NEW YORK —
Hamzah Sheeraz senses that even some of his strongest supporters doubt him after his suspect split draw with
Carlos Adames on Feb. 22.
That’s fine by the big British contender. Sheeraz realizes he has been presented with a high-profile opportunity that can immediately make boxing fans and pundits believe in him again.
A victory over
Edgar Berlanga on July 12 would be the most notable win of Sheeraz’s seven-year professional career. Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is the only opponent who has beaten Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs), a slight favorite versus Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), according to DraftKings.
Sheeraz acknowledged the importance of facing an opponent of Berlanga’s caliber during a press conference Thursday at Palladium Times Square to promote
“Ring III,” The Ring’s pay-per-view show at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.
“Listen, I’m coming,” Sheeraz said. “I’m coming. I’m coming for everything. I feel like this fight, I think for the first time in my career I’m kinda being underestimated. And I get it. I get it because in boxing you’re only as good as your last performance. But I’m telling you right now, July the 12, when I get the win the Hamzah Sheeraz hype train is gonna be back on again. And listen, we’re coming. We’re coming with everything.”
A confident Sheeraz intends to minimize memories of his
unimpressive performance against Adames in his debut in the super middleweight division. Sheeraz should’ve moved up in weight before now, according to the Ilford, England resident and his manager, Spencer Brown.
Sheeraz nevertheless learned invaluable lessons both before and during his draw with Adames, the WBC middleweight champion. Adames appeared to do enough to beat Sheeraz in their 12-round, 160-pound title bout, but the Dominican champion settled for a draw because judge Guido Cavalleri scored Sheeraz a 115-114 winner and judge Omar Mintun Sr. scored their fight a draw, 114-114, at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sheeraz suffered a fracture to his left hand early in that bout, impacting his performance against Adames, yet it healed properly and enabled him to train for another significant fight less than five months later.
“I learned a lotta things,” Sheeraz said. “I learned a lotta things. But listen, it’s all well and good talking about it. That’s the past. Listen, we’re in New York now. Everything’s about the future. Over here, listen, no dream is big enough. Do you know what I mean? No dream is big enough, so it’s all about the future. It’s all about July the 12 and I’m ready.”
Sheeraz is The Ring’s third-ranked middleweight contender, but he hopes to take a comparable spot in its super middleweight ratings by beating Berlanga. Brooklyn’s Berlanga is No. 9 in The Ring’s super middleweight ratings.
The bout between Berlanga, 27, and Sheeraz, 25, is part of a card that will also showcase unbeaten WBC lightweight champ Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs). The Newark, New Jersey native, a three-division champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist, is set to defend his WBC belt against mandatory challenger William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs), a southpaw from San Mateo Atenco, Mexico.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing