Canelo vs Christian Mbilli: Hamzah Sheeraz makes bold prediction and teases future fight

On May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza, Hamzah Sheeraz won the WBO super middleweight title, stopping Alem Begic in the second round. After that win, Sheeraz spoke to Ariel Helwani and gave his bold prediction for Canelo vs Christian Mbilli, while teasing a future fight with Canelo.

Hamzah Sheeraz dominates Alem Begic to win the WBO title

The chief support to Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven was Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KOs) vs Begic (29-1-1, 23 KOs) for the vacant WBO super middleweight world title.

Sheeraz started on the front foot, working smartly off his jab. He controlled the distance and tempo impressively in those opening three minutes, stopping Begic from getting a footing in the fight. During the second round, Sheeraz was throwing hurtful hooks and uppercuts, while Begic had no answer. 

A spiteful left to the body of Begic floored the German, and he was unable to beat the count. The second-round TKO win for Sheeraz made him the new WBO super middleweight world champion. The gap in class was massive, but Sheeraz did what he needed to do, and did it in style!

Hamzah Sheeraz predicts Canelo vs Christian Mbilli

Now a world champion, bigger fights beckon for Sheeraz, and the Brit will have one eye on the September 12 WBC super middleweight title clash between Canelo and Christian Mbilli. A Sheeraz vs Canelo fight has been mentioned in the past, and it’s one the Brit still desires. Sheeraz also made it clear he is backing Alvarez to become a world champion once again:

“A bit of a bold statement, but I believe Canelo stops (Mbilli) within six to eight rounds.

“There’s a big chance (that I fight Canelo after). I wouldn’t say it’s my next fight because I’d like to stay active. I don’t want to make the mistake of staying idle and having nothing happen.

“As long as I keep doing my thing, I’m sure (Canelo) is a fight that will happen in the future.”

After Terence Crawford’s retirement, it feels like the 168-pound division is now taking shape with some potentially huge fights coming up!