PROMOTER Frank Warren believes Hamzah Sheeraz is now ready to face undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Sheeraz was at his destructive best on Saturday night, knocking out Edgar Berlanga in five rounds at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. Berlanga had gone the distance with Canelo last year, but couldn’t survive Sheeraz’s power.
The victory came in Sheeraz’s debut at 168lbs, five months after a lacklustre showing against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames, which ended in a contentious draw. Many observers felt the Dominican had done enough to win that fight.
“His last fight, he was just dead at the weight,” Warren told Boxing News last night.
Sheeraz, who had already amassed 17 knockouts in 21 wins, reminded everyone of his power by dropping Berlanga twice in round four before finishing the job seconds into the fifth.
“He’s been a knockout artist for a long time, stopping guys in style,” Warren added. “He reminds me of a British Tommy Hearns!”
Sheeraz stands at 6ft 3ins – two inches taller than Hearns – and now moves into world title contention. While Hearns won titles from welterweight to light-heavyweight, Sheeraz is aiming to win his first major belt at super-middleweight, likely against Canelo Alvarez, provided the Mexican star comes through his September defence against Terence Crawford.
By beating Berlanga, Sheeraz secured the WBC mandatory challenger spot, guaranteeing him a title shot. Earlier today, boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh posted on X that Sheeraz “deserves” to face Canelo in 2026.
When asked if he felt Sheeraz is ready to face one of the sport’s modern greats, Warren was emphatic:
“Yeah. He’s had good grounding. He’s been in a world title fight, he’s fought a guy who’s a massive knockout artist, and he came to his own backyard.
“A lot of people thought he was an underdog, but he came in and did what he had to do. It was devastating.”
