Right then. The Usyk versus Verhoeven spectacle at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23 has been billed as Glory in Giza, and the main event has done all the eyeball-grabbing. But for those of us properly tracking British boxing, the chief support is the fight that actually matters. Hamzah Sheeraz against unbeaten German Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title is the real statement night for the Ilford man.
The Berlanga Fight Was Not The Test
Let's not beat around the bush — when Sheeraz stopped Edgar Berlanga inside five rounds at Madison Square Garden last July, half the noise around it was deserved and half was the tide rising on a fighter the Berlanga side had been ducking. It was a brilliant performance, no mistake — the work to the body, the timing on the right hand, the composure when Berlanga briefly came back at him in the third. But Berlanga had been picked apart by Canelo, and the levels above him were always going to be a question.
Begic is a different animal entirely. Unbeaten 22-0, seventeen stoppages, southpaw, technically excellent, and a hugely accomplished amateur out of the German national programme. He is the WBO's number-two contender and he has earned this shot the long way round. He is also fresh, hungry, and challenging for a world title for the first time. That kind of fighter, on that kind of platform, walks in fearless.
Why The Pyramids Card Suits Sheeraz
The DAZN PPV platform, the global eyeballs that will tune in for Usyk versus Verhoeven, the absolute spectacle of fighting in front of the Pyramids of Giza — this is exactly the launchpad Sheeraz needs. He failed in his one previous world title shot at middleweight against Carlos Adames, drew a fight he should have won. Then he moved up, demolished Austin Williams and Berlanga, and now he gets a vacant strap on a stage where literally everyone in the sport is watching.
Make no mistake, this is the kind of moment that announces a fighter on the world stage. Win convincingly against a respected unbeaten challenger and Sheeraz walks out of Egypt as a serious player at 168 — squarely in the conversation for Canelo's September fight, in the unification mix with Christian Mbilli, and one of the few super middleweights that any major broadcaster would build a card around.
The Stylistic Read
The southpaw question matters. Sheeraz is a long, rangy orthodox who lives off the jab and the straight right hand. Against southpaws he has had to recalibrate — the Adames fight earlier in his career was a wake-up. Begic is going to want to fight on the outside, work the right hand, and use his feet to stay off the right hand of the Brit. If he gets caught on the way in, he is gone — Sheeraz has heavy hands and the punch placement is class. But if Begic boxes smart for nine or ten rounds, this becomes a tactical fight.
I am picking Sheeraz mid-rounds — call it round seven or eight — once the body work piles up and Begic's feet start to slow. The German is good but he has not been in deep waters in the way Sheeraz has. Madison Square Garden teaches you something. The Pyramids of Giza will teach you something else again. Sheeraz at his best is a level above this. He just needs to show it.
The Bigger Picture
If Sheeraz wins this and looks brilliant, the floodgates open. Canelo's September Riyadh date is still hunting an opponent, and the names being floated are Mbilli, Sheeraz, and a couple of long shots. A spectacular WBO title win at the Pyramids puts him squarely in that conversation. Jack Catterall is also fighting for a world title on the same card, which makes Glory in Giza a properly meaningful night for British boxing — two world champions if everything lands.
May 23 is going to be brilliant. Forget the kickboxer in the main event for a minute. The fight that actually moves the British boxing needle is the chief support. Sheeraz has waited his whole career for this moment. The Pyramids are the right backdrop. The opponent is the right test. Get the round seven stoppage and the world is his.