Hamzah Sheeraz in line for mega fight after Edgar Berlanga test, Frank Warren predicts

Independent

a day ago

Hamzah Sheeraz and Edgar Berlanga will step into the ring on 12 July at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, as the co-main event alongside Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda.
Sheeraz is coming off an unsuccessful first world title challenge against Carlos Adames at middleweight, after he claimed a draw, which many protested he was lucky to get. He has since moved his training camp to Dublin to develop under the sought-after Andy Lee.
Meanwhile, Berlanga made a successful comeback since losing to Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez by knocking out Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in the first round earlier this year, to set up this grudge match with Sheeraz.
Sheeraz's promoter, Frank Warren, has weighed in on the card and the circumstances surrounding his British fighter's sudden move up to super-middleweight.
Sheeraz, 26, put on an uncharacteristically quiet performance against Adames, and Warren sides with the masses, believing that he 'was fortunate to get the decision'.
But the Hall of Fame Promoter told The Ring that, behind closed doors, his fighter had been struggling with the weight-cut and a hand injury which led to his dampened skills on the night.
This has not affected the Queensberry Boss's confidence in Sheeraz, who will step up to super-middleweight and straight into the ring against a world-title challenger. He said that Sheeraz is a true fighting man, wasting no time in targeting the top of the 168lb division
Warren said to The Ring: 'He's gone straight into the deep end. He's not just fighting a good fighter but fighting him in his backyard. No messing about – [he's] going for it.'
Coming off a lacklustre draw, it would be easy to stack some pressure on Sheeraz to get a win in this fight, or he could find himself in a career purgatory – but Warren doesn't see it this way. He believes the pressure is all on Berlanga.
Warren said: 'I think the pressure is on Berlanga, he's the home fighter, he's got the guy fighting up [in weight]. A lot of people fancy him to win the fight, so the pressure is on him to deliver.'
This fight could have world-title implications for the super-middleweight division as Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh has offered the winner a shot at Canelo if he comes through his undisputed showdown with Terence Crawford.
Sheeraz's promoter does not want to distract his man by looking too far ahead, but believes it is a good motivator for Sheeraz to put on his best performance to date and dispel any doubt over his pedigree.
The Queensberry founder said: 'He's got to put all that [a potential Canelo fight] in the back of his mind. For the winner of the Berlanga-Hamzah fight, which I believe will be Hamzah, it's a great carrot for him.'