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Hamzah Sheeraz’s road to Canelo Alvarez starts with Edgar Berlanga
On July 12, Hamzah Sheeraz is set to begin a new chapter in his boxing career against Edgar Berlanga.
After failing in his attempt to win a world title at middleweight in February, Sheeraz will now move up to super middleweight where the end goal is simple, a meeting with undisputed champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
The draw with WBC champion Carlos Adames three months ago put a dampener on what has been exciting career so far. After three successive stoppage wins over Liam Williams, Austin Williams and Tyler Denny, all respectful names within the sport, fight fans were hoping a Sheeraz title win would instantly make him a huge star.
However, it was a difficult 12 rounds against Adames who frustrated his opponent in a contest which ended in a split decision draw.
Sometimes a failed attempt to win a world title can see the challenger vanish for a considerable period, Sheeraz on the other hand is eager to showcase why the Adames draw was merely just a blip.
Berlanga, has already shared the ring with Canelo Alvarez, but he failed to impress in their encounter last September with a unanimous decision loss. In March, he returned to winning ways with a first-round knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz. While this would have been a much-needed confidence booster, Sheeraz will be a much tougher test.
The easiest way for Sheeraz to land his shot at one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters is to work his way through Alvarez's past foes in quick time.
Berlanga is the perfect way to start. If he can topple the loud-mouthed Puerto Rican, he could find himself in a position to face Jaime Munguia who is being positioned to face the winner of this particular bout.
Munguia is another former opponent of Alvarez and fought on the undercard of Alvarez’s clash with William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh. Munguia got the unanimous decision win in his rematch with Bruno Surace, but he was another fighter who failed to deliver in his shot at Canelo last year.
If Sheeraz does find himself facing Munguia, then the perfect performance for the British star would be to knock out ‘El Rambo’, something which Alvarez could not do.
But it’s not just his performances inside the ring where Sheeraz can force a fight with Alvarez, he will also have to create plenty of attention outside of it and which can be done by simply calling out the Mexican star whenever he has the chance.
This may go against Sheeraz and his respectable demeanour, however, in order to get the attention of boxing’s biggest star, being a constant thorn in Alvarez’s side will be a straightforward way to secure a showdown.
Speaking to DAZN News in April, promoter Frank Warren did mention that an Alvarez fight is a possibility for Sheeraz.
“It’s up to him, he’s got to go out, keep winning and hopefully get in the ring against Canelo,” Warren said.
If Sheeraz can hold up his end of the bargain against Berlanga with a win on July 12 and then one or two victories after, he could be well on the road to a showdown with a pound-for-pound great.
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