The search was brief to secure a new opponent for Hamzah Sheeraz.
However, the matchup itself doesn’t exactly strengthen the #BeltsMatter movement.
WBO officials have officially approved a vacant super middleweight title fight between England’s Sheeraz and Germany’s Alem Begic. The battle of unbeaten contenders is due to take place on a forthcoming May date in Manchester, England.
The timing of the secured fight is peculiar, given what took place this weekend.
Jacob Bank scored the most significant win of his career with a 12th round knockout of former IBF 168lbs titlist William Scull on Saturday in his hometown of Kolding, Denmark. Bank, 18-0 (10 KOs) is rated one spot below Sheeraz and just ahead of Begic, 29-0-1 (23 KOs) in the current WBO 168lbs rankings. Additionally, Bank’s win came with a regional WBO belt at stake.
However, officials were eager to fill the vacancy and content with the proposed matchup.
Munich’s Begic has not fought since a second-round knockout of unbeaten Mahdi Safdari last April 15 in Kitzbuehel, Denmark. The 38-year-old contender will enter his first major title fight and just his second scheduled 12-round contest through more than 11 years as a pro.
As previously reported by BoxingScene, the need for a new title fight arose when Diego Pacheco, 25-0 (18 KOs) withdrew from his ordered clash with Sheeraz, 22-0-1 (18 KOs). The development occurred – or at least was made public knowledge – mere hours before Friday’s scheduled purse bid hearing.
The WBO 168lbs title has been vacant since Terence “Bud” Crawford, 42-0 (31 KOs) retired last December. His decision to go out on top came three months after he dethroned Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 63-3-2 (39 KOs) for the undisputed 168lbs championship.
Sheeraz remained in a favorable position as a top-rated contender with the WBC, IBF and WBO. He declined to move forward with an ordered clash with interim WBC titlist Christian Mbilli, 29-0-1 (24 KOs), who was since upgraded to full titlist. The opportunity to pursue the IBF belt was never met with a response, as Sheeraz and his team were content to go the WBO route.
That opportunity will now come with his first fight in the UK since a September 2024 early knockout win over Tyler Denny at Wembley Stadium. The bout took place on the Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua undercard, as presented by Riyadh Season who has funded Sheeraz’s past four fights.
The most recent came in a fifth-round knockout of Edgar Berlanga last July 12 on the road in Queens, New York. Sheeraz just moved up from middleweight at the time and made an immediate splash in the 168lbs division.
