- Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) faces unbeaten Alem Begic (29-0-1, 23 KOs) for the vacant WBO super middleweight title on May 23 in Giza — the Usyk vs Verhoeven undercard.
- Ten days out and Sheeraz isn't even pretending — he wants Canelo Alvarez next, on the back of the belt, with Riyadh almost certainly waving the cheque book.
- Luke's read: Sheeraz starches Begic inside seven. Begic has been a faithful gatekeeper test, but the levels look one-way here.
Right Then — Sheeraz Says The Quiet Part Loud
Right then. Ten days out from a vacant WBO super middleweight world title fight at the Pyramids of Giza, and Hamzah Sheeraz is doing what every Brit fan secretly wants him to do — naming Canelo Alvarez before he's even climbed through the ropes on the night. Make no mistake, this is bold, and I love it.
Sheeraz fights unbeaten Bosnian Alem Begic for the vacant strap on May 23 on the Usyk vs Verhoeven undercard. He's 22-0 with one draw, 18 of those wins by stoppage. Begic is 29-0-1 with 23 KOs — the kind of CV that looks scary on paper until you actually look at who's on the sheet. There's a reason the bookies have Sheeraz at 1/20.
Begic First — The Gatekeeper At The Pyramids
Let's not beat around the bush about Begic. He's solid. He's tall, he punches, he's never lost — but the level of opposition tells the story. Sheeraz has shared rings with proper operators at 154 and 168 and looked the better man down the stretch. Begic is a step up from the Adames win, but he's not Canelo. He's not even Munguia.
What Sheeraz needs to do here is the easy bit on paper, but the hard bit in practice — go out, look class, win convincingly, and not get tagged silly trying to make a statement. There's a reason Frank Warren's been carefully feeding this kid up the ladder. The Begic fight is a launchpad, not a graduation.
The Canelo Callout — Bold, And Earned
Here's the thing — Sheeraz isn't sitting on the fence. He's said openly that if he gets the WBO belt, Canelo is the next target. Now, is Canelo going to fight him directly? Almost certainly not — the Mexican has Christian Mbilli signed for September in Riyadh and is heading into the back end of his career carefully. But a WBO mandatory call later this year? Saudi pulling a few strings? That conversation lives.
And let's be honest — Sheeraz is exactly the kind of fight that would suit a Riyadh card. A British world champion at 168, undefeated, telegenic, fights at a proper pace, decent power. If Canelo wants one more legacy night against a name from outside Mexico, Sheeraz puts his hand up loudest.
Luke's Pick — Sheeraz By Stoppage Inside Seven
I'll keep this short. Begic is going to come and try to maul. Sheeraz is going to use the length, the jab, the reach, and that lovely right hand he showed against Antonio. By round four or five Begic's eye is going to be in trouble, by six the head movement disappears, by seven the referee's stepping in.
Sheeraz wins the belt, gets the platform of an Usyk undercard at the Pyramids of Giza, and walks out of Egypt with a microphone in his hand. The Canelo conversation gets louder. If you know, you know — this is exactly the platform Frank Warren has been building toward. Don't blink.