Hamzah Sheeraz Stops Begic To Win WBO Title

Hamzah Sheeraz became Britain’s latest world champion in the shadow of the Pyramids, though saying Alem Begic made him climb one would be generous.

Sheeraz won the vacant WBO super-middleweight title with a second-round stoppage in Giza. He flattened the unbeaten but outclassed German with the sort of body shot that ends discussion as quickly as it ends resistance. Begic arrived with a tidy-looking record: 29 wins and one draw. But records can be very polite documents. They do not always reveal who has been asking the questions. Sheeraz asked one early, then another. By the second round, Begic had run out of answers.

The contrast was clear from the start. Sheeraz was tall, composed, and at ease at 168lb. From the opening moments, he took control with his reach and power, preferring to measure rather than rush. In response, Begic, a fellow southpaw, tried to stand firm but retreated almost immediately. With each clean shot, his ambition faded. There was no prolonged feeling-out process or tactical chess match; instead, there was just a clear power gap.

Sheeraz’s best work came when he let his hands go with purpose, not impatience. He mixed the attack well. He used his height to punch down and across Begic’s guard, then brought the shots underneath when the German tightened up. As the bout progressed, Begic’s defence became increasingly reactive. He was not setting traps or drawing counters. He was simply trying to survive what was coming at him.

The first round set the tone. Sheeraz found range quickly and landed with enough authority to force Begic onto the retreat. He gave the impression of a fighter already operating at a pace the challenger could not match. Begic had entered the ring unbeaten. But there is unbeaten, and there is untested. This looked very much like the latter.

By the second, the outcome was clear. Sheeraz increased the pressure. He landed hooks at will and moved Begic where he wanted. A precise left to the body finished it. Begic went down and stayed down. It was a sharp, decisive end from Sheeraz.

For Sheeraz, this was a career-defining night. His move to super-middleweight had momentum after the Berlanga win. Now he has what every fighter wants: a world title. The Adames' middleweight draw had been frustrating, but the new division looks like an upgrade. He seems stronger and better suited to the weight.

There will, naturally, be caution about the scale of the achievement. Begic was unbeaten, but he had not proven himself at the world level. This fight did not answer every question about Sheeraz against the division's elite. What it did show, however, was that Sheeraz belongs in the conversation. He handled the occasion, used his physical advantages properly, and did not allow a supposed title fight to become unnecessarily complicated.

The wider super-middleweight picture now becomes interesting. For example, Canelo Alvarez was reported to be ringside. The mere mention of that name sends half the boxing business into matchmaking fever. Sheeraz against Canelo may be ambitious, but ambition is not a crime in boxing. It is merely an expensive habit. Nevertheless, before that sort of night arrives, Sheeraz will need sterner tests than Begic. He will need men who can take his jab away, make him fight off the back foot, and punish him when he admires his work.

Tonight was not for caveats. Sheeraz did what world-level fighters should do against overmatched opponents. He identified the gap, exploited it, and ended it early.

Begic leaves with his first loss but no complaints. He was brave to show up. But courage without skill is harsh. Sheeraz leaves Egypt with a belt, a bigger reputation, and momentum at the right time.