Hamzah Sheeraz is reportedly edging closer to securing a world title shot after ruling himself out of a clash with unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
The formidable contender is ranked number one with the WBC and WBO following his destructive second-round stoppage over Tyler Denny back in September.
Sheeraz’s emphatic performance arrived on the undercard of Daniel Dubois’ victory over Anthony Joshua, with the IBF world heavyweight champion ultimately stealing the show at Wembley Stadium.
But still, with the 25-year-old claiming his European strap in front of around 90,000 fans in attendance, the magnitude of his win most certainly did not go unnoticed.
Hamzah Sheeraz is set to face WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames
Even before his scintillating finish over Denny, Sheeraz had already found himself on an upwards trajectory towards stardom.
His coming out party was, of course, an 11th-round stoppage over American contender Austin Williams earlier this year, which captured the attention of boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh.
Since then, Alalshikh has expressed his desire to stage the vast majority of Sheeraz’s fights going forward, providing his monumental Riyadh Season events as a platform for the rising contender.
With that in mind, it only makes sense for the Brit’s next assignment to be for a world title, with his promoter, Queensberry boss Frank Warren, confirming the plan himself.
And so, it came as a surprise when Sheeraz withdrew from Monday’s WBO purse bid for a potential clash with Alimkhanuly.
But now, it appears that the prolific knockout artist is set to take on WBC champion Carlos Adames which, according to Fight Freaks Unite, will feature on a blockbuster Riyadh Season show on February 22.
Hamzah Sheeraz was in talks to face Erislandy Lara
Adames, who comes off a wide unanimous decision victory over Terrell Gausha, is perhaps the most unproven champion at 160 lbs.
WBA titlist Erislandy Lara, on the other hand, has by far the most decorated resume but, at the age of 41, is arguably there for the taking.
| WBC | IBF and WBO | WBA |
| Carlos Adames | Janibek Alimkhanuly | Erislandy Lara |
Still, boxing insider Dan Rafael has reported that Queensberry Promotions were in talks with Premier Boxing Champions to stage a collision between Lara and Sheeraz.
But instead, the middleweight’s team have seemingly opted to chase Adames’ iconic green and gold belt.