DESPITE branding his next opponent a ‘sausage’ and, more recently, a ‘clown,’ Hamzah Sheeraz does not rule out the possibility of a strategic chess match unfolding next Saturday.
The 26-year-old is gearing up to face Edgar Berlanga at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York, just under five months removed from his highly-contentious draw with Carlos Adames.
Back then, many felt that Sheeraz, 21-0-1 (17 KOs), was fortunate to extend his unbeaten record against the WBC world middleweight champion, whose more assertive approach had largely outshone the Brit’s lacklustre display.
But regardless of that, Sheeraz has decided to launch himself back into the deep end, hoping that a win over Berlanga, 23-0 (18 KOs), will spring him towards another shot at world honours.
This time, however, the Ilford man looks to cement his credentials up at super-middleweight, no longer wishing to boil his towering frame down to 160lbs.
Seeking a meaningful victory, too, is Berlanga, who has recorded just one blowout since his unanimous decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez last September.
In that fight, the 28-year-old was soundly outboxed while, at the same time, remaining just about competitive enough to take his superior opponent the distance.
Even when considering his less than remarkable performance, though, it must be said that Berlanga, with his considerable punching power alone, represents a risky assignment for Sheeraz.
Not only that, but the Puerto Rican contender has displayed a typically fiery attitude throughout their build-up, to which Sheeraz has simply responded with his usual, laid-back demeanour.
Yet equally, the boxer-puncher acknowledges that, regardless of his opponent’s somewhat clumsy verbal attacks, there exists a far more calculated operator that he expects to collide with come fight night.
“[Berlanga is] doing what he’s known for, and even though I do think he’s a bit of a sausage, or a bit of a clown, boxing needs personalities like that,” Sheeraz told Boxing News.
“If everyone in boxing was respectful, then it would be pretty boring away from the fights.
“So with [the energy] that [Berlanga] is bringing, I’m enjoying it, and having a laugh with it. I don’t let it get to me.
“How he is as a person, and how he fights as a fighter, are completely different. He’s quite a smart fighter. If you break down his fights, he’s very systematic in what he does.
“So I think that him outside the ring is just an act, to distract you from how he is inside the ring, which is actually pretty smart.”
