Hamzah Sheeraz Edges Zachenhuber on Points

Hamzah Sheeraz retained his WBO super-middleweight title at the Jeddah Superdome, but his first defence provided considerably more labour than distinction. The unbeaten Briton defeated Simon Zachenhuber by majority decision after 12 rounds, with judges Nermin Adrovic and Valerio Mosca scoring the contest 116–112 and 115–113 for the champion. Antonio Marogna returned a card of 114–114. Sheeraz remained champion and advanced his record to 24 wins and one draw, while Zachenhuber suffered the second defeat of his 31-fight career.

Sheeraz had entered the ring as a strong favourite and received the warmest welcome of the undercard, accompanied into the arena by Punjabi rapper Gurinder Gill. At 6ft 3in, he possessed a pronounced advantage in height and reach over the German southpaw and appeared equipped to control the contest behind the long left jab which has formed the base of much of his success. The opening round suggested that expectation would be fulfilled. Sheeraz advanced steadily, prodding with the lead hand and testing the body, while Zachenhuber moved cautiously and offered little beyond straight punches towards the champion’s long frame.

Sheeraz increased his pace in the second and began whipping the left hook into Zachenhuber’s right side. The challenger answered with a firm straight left that snapped the champion’s head back and provided early evidence that he had not come merely to complete the formalities. Zachenhuber remained mobile, kept his shape and refused to stand directly in front of Sheeraz for any length of time. His punches were not especially damaging, but his movement and concentration prevented the champion from establishing a smooth, uninterrupted rhythm.

A right hook briefly disturbed Zachenhuber in the third, and Sheeraz landed several more clean punches before the bell. Yet the expected sustained assault did not follow. The champion continued to stalk, but his work was delivered in isolated bursts rather than combinations. Zachenhuber’s southpaw stance caused him occasional inconvenience, and the German was disciplined enough to move after punching instead of remaining within range for the reply.

The pattern continued through the fourth and fifth. Sheeraz held the centre and landed the cleaner, heavier blows, particularly with the jab and hooks to the body. Zachenhuber appeared to experience physical difficulty towards the end of the fifth, having spent considerable energy circling and reacting to the champion’s reach. It seemed the point at which Sheeraz might force a decisive change. Instead, Zachenhuber recovered between rounds and returned with enough determination to keep the contest alive.

Sheeraz applied his strongest pressure in the sixth, using his long arms less delicately and driving uppercuts and hooks through the challenger’s guard. Zachenhuber was forced backwards and took several hard punches, but he remained upright and continued to answer. The champion’s work was effective without becoming conclusive. He had the physical and technical advantages, yet appeared strangely reluctant to press them for more than a few seconds at a time.

A straight right staggered Zachenhuber at the beginning of the seventh and drew a loud response from the crowd. Once again, Sheeraz failed to build upon the opening. The German recovered, resumed moving and continued to throw sufficiently often to prevent the rounds becoming entirely one-sided. As the contest moved into its second half, Sheeraz became increasingly passive. Zachenhuber did not seize control, but he competed with greater confidence and forced the champion to work for rounds which had originally appeared likely to be collected without much argument.

There were few dramatic incidents during the final third. Zachenhuber landed a respectable left early in the eleventh, but neither boxer produced the sustained attack required to alter the course of the fight. Sheeraz continued to score with the jab and occasional right hand, while the challenger relied upon movement, single counters and persistence. By the final round the crowd, which had greeted the champion enthusiastically, had begun to whistle and boo. It was not the first time a paying audience had discovered that admiration has its limits.

The verdict was correct, although the drawn card was not beyond explanation. Sheeraz landed the better punches and controlled more rounds with his jab, height and forward movement. Zachenhuber’s effort was admirable and tactically sensible, but he never imposed enough authority to take the championship. His success lay in frustrating the favourite, extending him the full distance and exposing periods in which Sheeraz’s concentration and output disappeared.

Sheeraz admitted afterwards that he had switched off when he no longer regarded the challenger as a serious threat. That explanation was candid but not entirely flattering. World champions are generally expected to manufacture urgency rather than wait for an opponent to provide it. He also acknowledged surprise at the 114–114 score and suggested unbeaten Danish contender Jacob Bank as a possible future opponent.

The belt remained with Sheeraz, which was the principal business of the evening, but the performance did little to strengthen his case for immediate contests with the leading men at super-middleweight. He had won the vacant title only nine weeks earlier by stopping Alem Begic in two rounds and had been expected to produce another emphatic display. Instead, he completed 12 useful rounds against a challenger who was brave, fit and awkward, but never sufficiently dangerous to justify the champion’s periods of inactivity. Sheeraz won because he was the superior boxer. He made the matter appear rather less certain than it should have been.