WBC Silver and Commonwealth middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz needed just two minutes and 36 seconds to demolish Liam Williams in the headline event at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night. Sheeraz’s left-hand jab was decisive against his Welsh opponent, who was sent to the canvas twice. After the fight, promoter Frank Warren suggested Chris Eubank Jr could be the next opponent.
A lightning-quick performance from Hamzah Sheeraz earned him a first-round win over Liam Williams on Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena.
Williams has been in the ring with some accomplished fighters, though he lost both his fights to Liam Smith, as well as to Chris Eubank Jr, and Demtrius Andrade in his only world title fight in his career so far.
Sheeraz remains undefeated after 18 fights, with his WBC Silver title coming with a stoppage over Dmytro Mytrofanov in Warsaw back in August last year.
Williams had been convinced in the build-up to the fight he was being underestimated by Sheeraz’s team
The middleweight division is ripe for a fresh name to break through with most of the established names moving up to super middleweight, or well into their thirties, and there appeared to be an early finish on the cards as Williams was knocked down after just a minute.
Williams retreated to his corner and was allowed to get back to action before Sheeraz unleashed a flurry of blows to have his opponent on the ropes, and seconds later on the canvas once more for an eight count.
The 31-year-old had 23 seconds left of his first round when he was backing off from the younger man’s attacks and it forced his corner to come in to throw in the towel, to his evident surprise.
The 24-year-old Sheeraz was proud of his performance, and declared he was ready for any middleweight opposition.
“I had a lot of doubters going into this fight, it’s part of the sport. That’s how it is. I do my talking in the ring. When I get in here I entertain,” he said in the ring.
“Let’s have it, any 160lb-er. Put them in front of me and I’ll beat them.”
Sheeraz was congratulated in the corner by Frank Warren who will now consider how to push his charge’s career forward, and he told TNT Sports that he is a future world champion.
“He reminds me of Tommy Hearns, he’s probably got the best jab [around]. He doesn’t feel you out with it, he takes your head off,” he began.
“He’s a thorough professional. I genuinely believe tonight a star is born. I believe he will win a world title and he will hold that title as long as he likes.
“There couldn’t be a better advertisement for boxing. He’s an absolute star. He represents modern Britain and he does it in a fantastic way.”
Looking to the future, Chris Eubank Jr was mentioned by Warren, who said: “Eubank – if he’s got the balls to do it, because he’d need big balls to get in the ring with him.
“No one does that to Liam Williams. The way he handled it from the first jab, it was a magnificent performance.”
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