HAMZAH Sheeraz’s trainer, Andy Lee, has slammed the door on a mooted matchup against Christian Mbilli, insisting that the hard-hitting Frenchman is too great of a risk.
According to Brunch Boxing, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed that their fight will soon be ordered, despite Sheeraz, 22-0 (18 KOs), having already found himself in a strong position to face Canelo Alvarez next year.
The 26-year-old produced a punishing performance against Edgar Berlanga just nine days ago, ending his first super-middleweight outing with a stunning fifth-round finish.
Prior to that, the Ilford man had fallen short in his first stab at world honours, with a somewhat controversial draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames inspiring him to make several changes.
One of which happened to be a link-up with former world champion and esteemed coach Lee, who expects Sheeraz to enter one more fight before facing Canelo.
That next assignment, however, appears unlikely to be against Mbilli, 29-0 (24 KOs), who, along with Sheeraz, has established himself as a formidable contender at 168lbs.
The explosive puncher comes off a one-round demolition job against Maciej Sulecki and, as a result, was able to claim the WBC interim title.
Sheeraz, meanwhile, is the mandatory challenger for Mbilli’s secondary strap, yet boxing paymaster Turki Alalshikh has nonetheless promised him a shot at super-middleweight king Canelo in 2026.
So while WBC chief Sulaiman, it seems, is eager to see Sheeraz lock horns with Mbilli, Lee has ultimately confirmed that no such matchup is on his radar.
“I’d like for [Sheeraz] to fight in November,” Lee told Boxing News.
“It’s important for fighters to stay active, and we only had eight weeks of training together [prior to the Berlanga win], so we need more time to work on things [before fighting Canelo].
“He’s a very good fighter, Mbilli, and there’s no real upside to beating him. To fight somebody like Mbilli is a huge risk at this stage, but if [Sheeraz] beats Canelo, then Mbilli would be a good [title] defence.
“For now, we’re on the ascendancy. We’re not looking back; we’re looking up.”
Canelo must first face Terence Crawford on September 13, while Sheeraz, perhaps depending on that result, is likely to be given his shot at the Mexican star soon after.
