Sheeraz And Williams Look To Prove Their Worth In 5 vs. 5 Middleweight Clash
Apr 15, 2024 • 3:45 PM ET
Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams will meet in a high-stakes middleweight shootout on the June 1 Queensberry vs. Matchroom ‘5 vs.5’ show in Saudi Arabia.
Money obviously plays its part but the decision to pitch Sheeraz and Williams in together is also a clear indication of the belief that each promoter has in their fighter. The unbeaten middleweights could both have easily been manoeuvred into position to fight for world titles, instead they will face each other.
The winner’s world title claims will be impossible to ignore but they will also put themselves in prime position to snatch a stagnant 160lb division by the scruff of the neck. The loser will need to navigate their way back through the rankings.
Frank Warren has been Sheeraz’s biggest supporter since he appeared on the scene as a lanky super welterweight.
Since stepping up to middleweight two years ago, Sheeraz, 19-0 (15 KOs), has stopped five successive opponents and developed into a fighter with world class potential. The 24-year-old is ranked No.1 with the WBO and at No. 2 with the WBC and has been strongly linked to a fight with the unified WBO and IBF champion, Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Sheeraz goes into the fight with Williams on the back of a career best performance. In February, he put together a sensational display of power punching to take apart respected former world title challenger, Liam Williams, inside a round and Queensberry have decided to capitalise on that momentum and provide their brightest hope with the biggest possible stage to display his talent.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Sheeraz said at Monday’s press conference. “I’m ready. On June 1st, it’ll be a Queensberry win for sure.”
Williams, 16-0 (11 KOs), has his own high world rankings to defend. He sits at No. 5 with the IBF and WBC and at No. 2 with the WBA.
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
