A TASTE of disappointment may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Hamzah Sheeraz.uy
His last fight threw the British fighter into the unknown after scything through the majority of his previous opponents. After three wins in 2024, against a past-his-best Liam Williams, the dangerous Austin “Ammo” Williams, and the progressive Tyler Denny, a maiden world title shot was next up.
In February, Sheeraz challenged WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames. While he wasn’t a sure thing, many observers believed the Brit would leave Riyadh with his first world title. On fight night, however, the challenger performed nowhere near his capabilities.
He suffered a broken hand early on and was met by a resolute Adames who refused to be denied – only to be denied by the judges, who scored the bout a draw. Sheeraz didn’t deserve the win, but Adames certainly did.
Five months on, Sheeraz, 21-0-1 (17 KOs), is back, with a new trainer (Andy Lee) and at a new weight (super-middleweight). His 168lbs debut isn’t a gimme, nor one where the outcome is widely presumed. If Sheeraz is to eventually challenge undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, two things must happen: he must beat Edgar Berlanga, 23-1 (18 KOs), on July 12, and Canelo must beat Terence Crawford on September 13.
Earlier this week, Sheeraz, 26, spoke to members of the media. Boxing News was present and reminded him of what he said were the keys to victory against Adames.
“I think that the key for me in this fight is for me to control the pace and make him dictate to me.”
So, what does Sheeraz believe will be key against Berlanga, who lost to Canelo in 2024?
“It’d be the same thing,” he answered. “Hopefully, the hands stay intact for this one. The good thing is I’ve got that experience in the bank now – the experience of fighting a world-class fighter. Going into this fight, there’s a few things mentally that have been ticked off, and I know what it’s like to kind of go through the gears and go through different paces of being pushed back, being on the front foot. It all depends really, just going to take it round by round and see how it plays out.”
After the draw with Adames, Sheeraz faced criticism. The scorecards were widely panned, and his performance left some doubting whether he truly had what it takes to become a world champion. The five-month break, the link-up with Andy Lee, and the move up in weight all appear to have benefitted the 6ft 3in puncher.
Sheeraz told Boxing News it took time to get over the disappointment of the Adames fight.
“It was hard to be fair. It took me about a good six to eight weeks to really kind of get over it. I locked myself out of all social media.
“It was an interesting space to be in because I’d never been there before and I thought, this is it, the world’s coming crashing down. What do I do now? You go from winning, knocking everyone out, to having that performance which is a dip in your career and it’s like, what happens now, what happens now?”
Boxers know what can happen after one bad night at the office. Many speak of discovering who really has their back when the wins stop coming.
“You see certain people’s energy change towards you,” Sheeraz says. “You hear about it all the time, but not until you’re in that certain situation and you’re experiencing it, you truly understand what is meant of these stories and of these experiences. But to be fair, what helped me get over it was getting a phone call from His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] to tell me that I’ll be fighting in New York against Edgar Berlanga.
“As soon as he told me that, it was like, alright, cool, I’ve got an opportunity to really put things right here and more natural weight into me as well and to get back up again.”
Sheeraz has now tasted world level and knows what it will take to become a champion. Beating Berlanga could secure him a second title shot – this time at a second weight. His opponent on July 12 is tough, heavy-handed, and outspoken. Sheeraz outlined what he sees as the key differences between Adames and Berlanga.
“I feel like Adames is a lot more athletic,” he says. “A lot more agile, quicker, but on the other hand, Belanga’s more solid in his base, he’s stronger, he’s more physical.
“What I can do is use the experience over the 12 rounds [against Adames] to navigate my way through this fight.”
Sheeraz will make his American debut when he faces Berlanga next week. The Louis Armstrong Stadium – better known as a tennis venue – adds novelty to a fight night that should deliver more than Ring III’s predecessor in Times Square. Sheeraz is used to carrying expectation. This time, he also has a new audience to win over.
“I definitely have to impress because it’s my first fight in the USA. I need to get these fans over here behind me and let them know who Hamzah Sheeraz is. But when you operate at the world level, you’re not going to knock everyone out. You need to know how to win on points, to win it if it’s a close fight. You’ve got to understand how to nick it. So it’s all about just being smart, really.
“And I’m talking from experience. If you asked me this before my last fight, I would have probably said no on the fact I knocked everyone out. But now it’s just being wise and being smart.”
Tickets for the July 12 card at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York featuring Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda, Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, Alberto Puello vs. Subriel Matias and David Morrell Jr vs. Imam Khataev can be purchased at the link below.
