WBO Approves Sheeraz vs Begic for Vacant Super Middleweight Title

The WBO has finalized a replacement title fight for Hamzah Sheeraz, moving quickly to keep its vacant super middleweight belt in play rather than reopening the rankings process.

Officials confirmed approval of a bout between Sheeraz and Germany’s Alem Begic, with the fight expected to take place on a May date in Manchester, England. The contest will crown a new WBO 168 pound titleholder following the collapse of the originally ordered matchup.

The decision arrived shortly after significant movement elsewhere in the division. On Saturday in Kolding, Denmark, Jacob Bank scored a late knockout of former IBF titleholder William Scull, finishing the fight in the twelfth round. Bank entered the weekend ranked directly behind Sheeraz and just ahead of Begic in the WBO standings, and the bout carried a regional WBO title.

Despite that result, the organization proceeded with the already submitted Sheeraz–Begic pairing. Begic has not competed since April of last year, when he recorded a second round stoppage of Mahdi Safdari in Kitzbuehel. At 38 years old, the upcoming fight will represent his first opportunity at a major world title and only his second scheduled twelve round bout in more than eleven years as a professional.

The vacancy itself opened when Diego Pacheco withdrew from his ordered contest with Sheeraz. The withdrawal became public just hours before a scheduled purse bid hearing, leaving the WBO to determine an alternate path forward. The belt has been vacant since Terence Crawford stepped away from the division late last year following his win over Saul Canelo Alvarez.

Sheeraz remains highly ranked across multiple sanctioning bodies at super middleweight, though his team elected not to pursue other ordered opportunities. The upcoming bout will mark his first fight in the UK since September 2024, when he scored an early stoppage of Tyler Denny at Wembley Stadium.

His most recent appearance came last July, when he stopped Edgar Berlanga in Queens, New York, a bout that doubled as his divisional debut at 168 pounds and kept him positioned among the division’s leading contenders.