Hamzah Sheeraz says he believes he has a “good chance” of knocking out Canelo Alvarez. The unbeaten #1 WBC-ranked super middleweight contender Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) states that he’s still interested in fighting Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) despite his 12-round unanimous decision defeat against Terence Crawford last weekend.
Hamzah says that if he can’t get a fight against Canelo, he’d like to challenge Crawford for his undisputed super middleweight championship. That’s a fight that he would like, but recognizes that it would be a difficult one for him.
Sheeraz’s Canelo Knockout Claim
“I could see myself in the ring pretty soon. Definitely,” said Hamzah Sheeraz to BoxNation about Canelo Alvarez. “Do I believe I could stop him? I believe I have a good chance of doing so.”
The chances of Hamzah knocking out Canelo are slim, but it sounds good for him to talk about it. If he wants to get attention, telling the media that he can knock out Alvarez will accomplish that. In reality, it would be foolhardy for Sheeraz to try to knock out Canelo because he could get clipped.
The Crawford Challenge
“It would be very difficult. He’s shown that he can adapt to any style,” said Sheeraz about a fight between him and Terence Crawford. “He’s only been rocked by ‘Mean Machine’ [Egidijus
Kavaliauskas] and Gamboa. He was strong at 168. That’s what surprised me. In the clinches, he was manhandling Canelo, and he was holding his feet with him as well.”
Crawford was only stronger than Canelo when they briefly wrestled in one of the clinches during the fight. Terence’s punches weren’t harder than Canelo’s, although he claimed they were. For Sheeraz to beat Crawford, he would have to cut off the ring because he would be using movement a lot like he did against Canelo.
It would be important for Sheeraz not to get overly aggressive because Crawford’s a counter-puncher. He found his best success against Canelo when the Mexican star began fighting more aggressively in the second half of the fight.
“I think he will,” said Sheeraz when asked if Crawford would stay at 168.
It makes sense for Crawford to stay put at super middleweight to take advantage of the big payday opportunities in a potential rematch with Canelo or a clash against Sheeraz. Those two are the obvious options available to him. Crawford already stated yesterday in an interview with Stephen A. Smith’s YouTube channel that he won’t move back down to the 154 division.
Terence wasn’t sure if he’d go down to 160. Those would be brutal fights for Crawford if he were to face the middleweight champions Erislandy Lara, Carlos Adames or Janibek Alimkhanuly. What would make them even more difficult if Crawford stays on his victory lap for a year before he returns to the ring, like he did after his wins over Errol Spence and Israil Madrimov?
Jermall Charlo, 35, or his twin, Jermell, could be possibilities if Turki Alalshikh were interested in seeing one of those two inactive former world champions going up against Crawford.
American fans wouldn’t be excited at seeing Canelo or Crawford fight Sheeraz, as many of them aren’t familiar with him. Many people who are aware of Sheeraz view him as a hype job, having been gifted a 12-round draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames earlier this year on February 22 in Riyadh.
Sheeraz’s recent fifth-round knockout win over Edgar Berlanga on July 12 didn’t impress many American boxing fans, as they viewed Berlanga as a fake. While that performance wowed Hamzah’s British fans, it didn’t convince the U.S public that he’s not fool’s gold.
A Questionable Ranking
Moreover, the #1 ranking given to Sheeraz by the WBC after only one fight against Berlanga doesn’t make sense. Edgar had recently lost a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision to Canelo on September 14, 2024. Sheeraz should have beaten someone better than Berlanga to earn his #1 ranking at 168. Being vaulted to the top of the super middleweight division after one flimsy victory comes across as looking bad in the eyes of fans with critical thinking ability.
