Right then, the Pyramids card is sixteen days out and the chief support fight is one I've been quietly looking forward to all year. Hamzah Sheeraz against unbeaten Bosnian Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title, on the same bill as Oleksandr Usyk v Rico Verhoeven. Sixteen days out, the camp is wrapped, the camp out of Sheeraz's Roman Way Boxing base looks the cleanest he's looked in his career — and I think this is the night his brand resets, or it's the night that the Berlanga finish gets put in a different light.
Where Sheeraz Is
This is Hamzah's first fight of 2026. The last time we saw him was that fifth-round stoppage of Edgar Berlanga last July — a properly excellent performance that announced him on the world stage and turned him into a name that the casual American fan recognises. The problem with a finish like that is the wait. Nine months out of the ring at 27 isn't ideal even with the brand reasons for it. He's coming back at 168 against an undefeated mandatory and the rust question is real even if the fundamentals say he wins ugly even on a poor night.
Begic — Don't Make The Lazy Read
Begic is 29-0-1. The trade reads that record and immediately discounts it because the names aren't household. That's lazy. The Bosnian is rangy at six-three, he comes forward, his right hand has settled four of the last six fights inside the distance, and he's got a head movement profile that's better than the casual viewer picks up on. He's never met a man at Sheeraz's level, fair enough, but he's also never given us the data point that says he can't compete at it. The bookies have him at 6/1 to win. I'd take him at 8/1, not at 6.
The Style Match
Sheeraz wants to box, control range, work the body, and crank the right hand over the top in the second half of the fight when Begic tires. The reach is roughly even. The class gap is the main edge. Begic's path is to drag the fight into the trenches and turn it into a roughhouse, which is the same path most underdogs in Sheeraz fights have tried, and which has historically not worked because the Brit's clinch boxing and the way he ties up at close range is heavy on the lighter man's arms and lungs. That gap is where I expect the night to be settled.
The Canelo Card
Make no mistake — the only reason this is a chief support and not a main event of its own is because Sheeraz's team are lining up the September call-out for Canelo Alvarez. The Brit beats Begic impressively, picks up the WBO belt, and the negotiation for the back end of 2026 starts the same night. Riyadh promotion has the budget. Canelo needs the new opponent. Sheeraz is the most marketable contender at 168 in the British market right now. The maths is doing itself. A loss or even an ugly win on May 23 puts a brake on that. A clean performance lights it.
The Rest Of The Card
The undercard around Usyk v Verhoeven is properly stacked. Jack Catterall v Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA welterweight title is a toss-up that I expect Catterall to edge on the cards. Frank Sanchez v Richard Torrez Jr is one for the heavyweight purists. The women's title fight on the bill carries a properly local hook for the Egyptian crowd. It's the deepest DAZN PPV undercard of the year so far and Sheeraz v Begic sits second on the bill where it belongs.
Luke's Call
Sheeraz by stoppage in rounds five through eight, with a hand wave at Canelo for September. The lay-off is the only real wildcard, and at this level you back the talent gap to clear in the championship rounds. I'd take Begic on the over-points line if the bookies are offering it, just because the Bosnian's volume should keep this competitive in the early rounds. But the night ends with Hamzah in his first world title and the next chapter of his career officially open.