Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) defeats Liam Williams (25-5, 20 KOs) by first-round stoppage.

Well, that was so blindingly obvious it was almost comical that it took me by complete surprise. Liam Williams brought a 2-2 record in his previous four fights (the two wins coming in either short notice or short odds mismatches), and he was duly starched in a round by Hamzah Sheeraz.

Sheeraz, on the other hand, had only boxed 11 rounds of a scheduled 46 in his last four outings, and he finished three of those four fights in just two rounds.

So, what I’m trying to say is… why the hell did I give Williams a chance in this one? And I wasn’t the only one. Lie to yourself all you want, be an ‘after timer’, tell me “I don’t know sh*t about Boxing!, but when you’re alone with your thoughts, remember that you thought there was a chance.

Maybe it was because of the rumours Williams took a concussion into the Eubank Jr fight? Or maybe Demetrius Andrade was just a ‘world-level’ fighter? But now, with the hindsight of the Sheeraz loss, Williams has been down SIX times in the first two rounds in these losses, twice by jabs.

If it was ever possible to quantify the longevity of a fighter’s chin, Williams would be high on my list to measure. I think you would find it has sadly far exceeded its use-by date.

Hamzah Sheeraz
I like Sheeraz; he’s tall, skilled, has solid punching power, and is a capable counterpuncher. Yet still, I can’t seem to shake a minor irk—the Bradley Skeete fight. Sheeraz is far more comfortable having a fighter come onto him than he is cutting off the ring and forcing his opponent to fight.

He still needs to pass this test before I’m “all in,” as they say, but then again, this is coming from a man who thought Liam Williams could cause him some problems…

Fleeting thoughts

Frank Warren’s list of completely useless, utterly unknown Light-Heavyweights to match against Anthony Yarde seems to never deplete.
Sam Noakes needs the winner of Gavin Gwynne v Mark Chamberlain, which, by the way, I’m sure will be a highly anticipated spectacle for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) defeats Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) by Unanimous Decision

I’ll be honest; it took me a while to get around to watching this one. The Sandor Martin robbery is a bruise that has yet to heal, but I did praise Lopez for how quickly he was able to turn the tide in just one fight (a one-sided beatdown of the usually excellent Josh Taylor).

Overnight, Lopez went from a fighter who lost against ‘Ferocious’ George Kambosas and required blatant larceny to overcome a European champion to a young world champion holding two elite victories on his record. Some people put him into pound-for-pound contention.

But just when you think he has cracked it, those old fragilities begin to show. Teofimo Lopez has absolutely no idea what to do against a moving target. Any lateral movement and Lopez just begins wandering around the ring without any urgency whatsoever, his feet seemingly stuck in treacle, whilst receiving zero useful instruction from his corner.

Sadly, it appears that despite all his technical perfections, his tactical naivety will prove his downfall. Unless he chooses to actually find a real boxing trainer. What’s that? Just blame it on Ortiz for not staying still and letting you hit him instead. OK, Teo.

As for Jamaine Ortiz, welcome to the Sandor Martin “who needs him” pit of talented away fighters. I like this kid, and I thought he’d give Lopez a really hard fight, but yet again, he’s on the bad side of a close decision.

Fleeting thoughts

Happy inevitable retirement for Jose Pedraza, a very good fighter who’s passed on the baton to the next breed of talent. The ‘circle of boxing’ is complete again.