Anthony Joshua returns to Wembley Stadium on Saturday, six years on from his previous sell-out heavyweight blockbuster against Alexander Povetkin.
Compatriot Daniel Dubois is in the other corner on this occasion, putting his IBF portion of the heavyweight title on the line as “AJ” seeks to join the rarified ranks of three-time world champions in boxing’s blue ribband division.
A record UK crowd of 96,000 will be in attendance for this “Riyadh Season – London Edition” show. It suggests the sport in Britain remains in rude health, as it has been throughout the transformative Joshua era.
However, the London 2012 super heavyweight gold medalist is 35 next month and there are justifiable concerns over who from the next generation might pick up the slack, especially as fears over boxing’s Olympic status and the associated Team GB pathway rumble on. Additionally, a side-effect of boxing’s Saudi revolution has seen fewer high-profile arena shows in the UK.
An undefeated middleweight on the Joshua vs. Dubois undercard is ready to do his part when it comes to making light of those concerns.
WATCH: Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois, live on DAZN
Hamzah Sheeraz boxing record, next fight
Hamzah Sheeraz will put his unblemished 20-0 professional record on the line when he faces European middleweight champion Tyler Denny (19-2-3) on the undercard.
Denny, 33, is on a fine run of form after handing Felix Cash his first professional defeat last time out. Sheeraz, though has really set pulses racing.
Each of the 25-year-old’s past 14 bouts has ended inside the distance. It will be intriguing to see whether a wily campaigner of Denny’s calibre can halt this hot streak.
WATCH: Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Tyler Denny, live on DAZN
Hamzah Sheeraz professional career, best wins
Sheeraz made his pro debut with a second-round stoppage of journeyman Duane Green at London’s Copper Box in September 2017, the first of 16 KOs to date.
Initially campaigning at super welterweight despite his considerable frame, Sheeraz racked up wins and earned himself a formidable reputation.
His final fight at that limit, a fourth defence of the WBO continental strap, was cloaked in controversy as Sheeraz was docked a point in round eight for hitting Bradley Skeete when he was down. Former British welterweight champion Skeete did not recover from the blow and was stopped in the following round.
Sheeraz’s struggles earlier in that bout suggested boiling down to super welterweight was taking a toll and he duly stepped up to middleweight for his next bout at Wembley Arena, where he floored Jez Smith twice en route to a second-round stoppage.
Sheeraz has been on the up and up ever since and truly announced his credentials as a world-class young talent on the undercard of Dubois’ unsuccessful challenge for Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight titles in August 2023.
The away fighter was entirely undaunted by the prospect of facing Usyk’s fellow Ukrainian Dmytro Mytrofanov before a partisan crowd at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland. Sheeraz took his man apart in a two-round demolition job.
His next night under the bright lights was over even quicker, with former world-title challenger Liam Williams dispatched inside the opening session at Sheeraz’s old Copper Box stomping ground.
Ammo Williams represented a theoretically more “live” threat on the Matchroom vs. Queensbury card in Riyadh earlier this year but Sheeraz proved to be a class apart, breaking down the big-punching American for an 11th-round stoppage.
Hamzah Sheeraz height and reach
These victories have put Sheeraz on the fringes of conversations around world honours at middleweight.
It is likely he moves up in weight again as his career progresses, however, given that making 160 lbs at 6ft 3ins is no picnic.
The formidable Ilford-born fighter boasts a 75.2-inch reach boxing out of the orthodox stance.
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