Hamzah Sheeraz says a fight between him and Canelo Alvarez remains possible for early 2026, despite the Mexican star’s loss to Terence Crawford last Saturday night. Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) is unsure if Canelo will want to return to the ring in February.
Hamzah states that he’d like to fight Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) for his four super middleweight belts next if he doesn’t get the Canelo fight. He’s the WBC mandatory for that belt.
Sheeraz on the Canelo Fight
“I could still fight Canelo. I don’t know if he would fight as soon as February, though,” said Hamzah Sheeraz to Ring Magazine about him still being interested in fighting Canelo Alvarez despite his loss to Terence Crawford last Saturday.
That would be interesting if Canelo wound up fighting Sheeraz next, rather than a rematch with Crawford or Dmitry Bivol. Alvarez didn’t give any hints after the fight last Saturday about who he wants to fight next.
If Canelo chooses not to fight a rematch with Crawford, Sheeraz would be an excellent choice. Canelo would have to be a lot more aggressive than he showed against Crawford, and he couldn’t afford to fade in the championship rounds.
Sheeraz would be more dangerous for Alvarez than Crawford due to his size, power, speed, and aggressiveness.
Hamzah’s Challenge to Crawford
“I’d just like a shot at the titles. Crawford has got them at the minute. If he stays at the weight, I’ll fight him. I don’t see him going down. There are no big fights for him at 160. Even at 154, you can rule that out. I’d be one of the bigger fights for him,” said Sheeraz.
There’s a chance that Hamzah could get a title shot against Crawford, but that would depend on Turki Alalshikh wanting that matchup. If he decides to do the Canelo vs. Crawford rematch, it would remove the possibility of Sheeraz getting a title shot. Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, could have some input on whether he’d agree to Bud fighting Sheeraz.
Last Sunday, ‘BoMac’ made it clear he’s not interested in David Benavidez as Crawford’s next opponent. He also dismissed the possibility of a fight between Crawford and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, saying that the Philadelphia native doesn’t want to fight him. That was ‘BoMac’ speaking for ‘Boots,’ which is a clear signal that it’s McIntyre who doesn’t want the fight. There’s a lot of risk for Crawford fighting the rapidly improving Ennis.
The unbeaten Sheeraz views Crawford as the “king of the sport” now following his win over Canelo. He can now get the biggest fights that have been out of his reach all these years.
Hamzah is the WBC mandatory challenger for the super middleweight title that Crawford now holds. So, even if he vacates the belts, Sheeraz will be at the front of the line to battle for them against the highest-ranked available contender. That would be #2, Jaime Munguia.
Future of the Belts
If Crawford frees up the four 168 titles by vacating them for whatever reason, it’ll “open up the division,” says Sheeraz. The contenders can fight for the four belts, and we would soon have a situation where there are four champions.
That would be beneficial for boxing because it gives more opportunities for interesting fights compared to the way it is now, with Crawford holding all four belts. If he returns to his once-a-year schedule of fighting, that would be the worst possible thing for the 168-lb division. He would sit on the titles, just as he had with his WBA junior middleweight belt after capturing it 13 months ago on August 3, 2024.
Sheeraz isn’t sure if Crawford will retire and give up his four titles. He points out that now is the time for him to “capitalize” in terms of business following his win over Canelo. He can make a lot of money by taking on fighters like Hamzah.
Sheeraz says he’d be open to fighting Diego Pacheco for one of the world titles or in a title defense. However, he doubts Pacheco will stay at 168 for much longer because he’s quickly outgrowing the division.
