Tim Bradley believes temperament would play a significant role if Canelo Alvarez ends up defending his WBC world title against Hamzah Sheeraz.
The 36-year-old reclaimed his super-middleweight belt last month, dethroning Christian Mbilli with a unanimous decision victory in his first outing since losing to Terence Crawford.
Back then, in September 2025, many wondered if Canelo would continue competing at world level after suffering a convincing points defeat to ‘Bud’.
Yet despite losing his undisputed crown, the Mexican gave a strong account of himself and, against Mbilli, it was arguably his best performance in years.
As for his next outing, Sheeraz has emerged as a potential opponent despite vacating his WBO title in September, so as to avoid defending it against mandatory challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Prior to that, Sheeraz made the move up to 168lbs after boxing to a contentious draw with WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames early last year.
And while that performance could perhaps be explained by a struggle to make 160lbs, Hall of Famer Bradley has suggested on his YouTube channel that the unbeaten 27-year-old would encounter even more problems against Canelo.
“He’s easily flustered when he’s not making contact [with his opponent]. I feel like Canelo can play with him.
“Canelo would close the distance on him, little by little, but he would [also] use his slick defence and counterpunching.
“If you go back and think about when Hamzah Sheeraz fought Carlos Adames … Adames was really slippery, sliding in and working his combinations, landing some big shots over the top.
“I could see a similar fight [between Canelo and Sheeraz]. But Canelo, I think he does it more on a consistent basis, and I think he has more knowledge than that of Carlos Adames … Canelo’s gonna eat him up, bro, that’s what I think.”
Sheeraz’s bargaining power may dwindled after vacating his world title, but his partnership with Riyadh Season – the promotion Canelo currently has another fight contracted with – could help him land the fight.
