Hamzah Sheeraz lands WBO super-middleweight title shot

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic clash for vacant WBO super-middleweight title

Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) vs Alem Begic (29-0-1, 23 KOs) has just been announced for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title in May in Manchester.

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 announcement has come as a bit of a surprise to many, after Diego Pacheco (25-0, 18 KOs) withdrew just hours before last Friday’s scheduled WBO purse bid hearing. This was the expected fight after the WBC had cancelled the Hamzah Sheeraz vs Christian Mbilli purse bids shortly before. Mbilli has since been elevated to from Interim to WBC super-middleweight world champion.

The WBO 168lbs title was vacated by Terence “Bud” Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) after he retired from boxing last December.

British star Sheeraz was the top-rated contender with the WBC, IBF and WBO. He decided not to go ahead with an ordered clash with WBC Interim titlist Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) from Canada. The opportunity to pursue the IBF belt was never met with a response, so Sheeraz and his team opted to go the down the WBO route.

Fighting in Manchester will be the 26-year-old Brit's 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, presented by Riyadh Season, who has funded Sheeraz’s past four fights.

The most recent victory for the Slough stylist came via a fifth-round knockout of Edgar Berlanga last July on the road in Queens, New York. Sheeraz had just moved up from middleweight and made a big statement with the won over Puerto Rican star who has gone the distance with Canelo.

Sheeraz is WBO #3 and Begic is WBO #5. Begic is 38-years-old from Munich, Bayern, Germany. He is 5′ 11½″ and has a 79.31% KO ratio. On paper, the pair are very well-matched, both unbeaten with one draw and KO ratios around the 80% mark. However, Sheeraz will be the strong favourite with the home advantage and the star potential he has shown his entire pro career.

Possible dates in May include 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th. There's a strong possibility that Jack Catterall vs Conah Walker could happen on the same card.