One of the best fights that can be made in the super middleweight division could happen in early 2026.
The Ring has learned that Riyadh Season is interested in a bout between unbeaten super middleweight contenders
Diego Pacheco and
Hamzah Sheeraz. February is the targeted date for a potential clash, though, that would mean a rapid turnaround for Pacheco, who is coming off a
unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Kevin Lele Sadjo on Saturday in Stockton, California.
Pacheco (25-0, 18 KOs) overcame an eighth-round knockdown to win 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 across the three judges' scorecards against the rugged Sadjo (26-1, 23 KOs). Pacheco, 24, went 3-0 in 2025, with all three victories coming by unanimous decision.
Pacheco, who stands 6-foot-4, is ranked by all four sanctioning bodies, including No. 3 by the WBO. He is No. 5 in
The Ring’s super middleweight rankings.Sheeraz 26, who is also a towering super middleweight standing 6-3, rebounded from a controversial draw with WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames by
dropping Edgar Berlanga three times in a fifth-round stoppage victory in his debut at 168 pounds on July 12. Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs), who is ranked No. 8 by The Ring at super middleweight, is ranked inside the top six for four sanctioning bodies, including being No. 2 in the WBC's and WBO’s rankings.
The WBC has ordered Sheeraz to face fellow undefeated contender Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) for its vacant super middleweight title after stripping Terence Crawford. Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) remains the unified IBF/WBA/WBO and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion.
With both fighters highly ranked by multiple sanctioning bodies, that could potentially pave the way for a world title to be on the line if a bout between the two comes to fruition.