Last night in New York, in a fight that earned him a shot at unified 168-pound ruler Canelo Alvarez, Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz arrived on the American stage, the world stage, with a bang. Wiping out trash-talk king Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round, this after almost finishing the Puerto Rican in the fourth, Sheeraz had himself some U.S debut.
Last night’s fight, one that may well have stolen the show from the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda fight, won on points by WBC lightweight champ Stevenson, also saw Sheeraz box his super-middleweight debut. And things could not have gone better for the man promoter Frank Warren has compared to the great Thomas Hearns.
Hamzah Sheeraz Knocks Out Berlanga
It was in some ways a “Hitman” type performance from Sheeraz. The visiting fighter violently dropped Berlanga twice in the fourth round, with Berlanga doing well to get up from the first knockdown, this the result of a three-punch Sheeraz combo, and from the second knockdown, which came after a thudding right to the head. The bell actually saved Berlanga, but not for long.
Jumping right on his wounded foe as the fifth round got underway, Sheeraz let loose with another accurate combination, and this time, Berlanga was done. He was toast. Berlanga’s massive ego will take some getting over this.
Now 22-0-1(18), Sheeraz really did make a statement, while at the same time, he closed a very big mouth. Berlanga, now 23-2(18) and beaten only by Canelo before last night, this via wide decision, faces some tough climb back to anything like where he was before last night’s humbling.
Sheeraz: Canelo Alvarez Next Opponent?
Sheeraz may well go on to win a world title at 168. It will all depend on what Canelo does next, this after his fight with Terence Crawford, the super-fight being one that plenty of fans and experts feel could go either way. Sheeraz, who was deemed unlucky not to have won his last fight, the draw with Carlos Adames that contested a piece of the middleweight crown, for sure has the look of a future champ. If Canelo does beat Crawford, could it be Sheeraz next? And imagine if Sheeraz did fight the Mexican star and defeated him, perhaps in the UK!
For now, Sheeraz can celebrate a big, explosively impressive, ultimately satisfying win. So many of us love seeing a big mouth punched shut, and we sure saw that last night in New York.
