“Twenty years as a pro. He’s been doing it since he was a kid and it’s a funny thing, you look at him and you think to yourself, ‘If Hamzah Sheeraz can beat [Edgar] Berlanga, then I’ve got to fancy him to have a chance of beating [Canelo].’” That’s what Frank Warren said after witnessing the low-output bout between William Scull and Canelo Alvarez in May, where the fighters combined for just 445 punches thrown, setting a new CompuBox record for the fewest punches thrown in a 12-round fight. Now, after seeing his man Hamzah Sheeraz dominate Edgar Berlanga, the 73-year-old promoter is not only beaming with pride, he’s openly questioning Canelo Alvarez’s standing in the division.

Hamzah Sheeraz, for his part, announced his arrival at 168 lbs emphatically. Brushing aside all the pre-fight trash talk, the Brit systematically dismantled ‘The Chosen One,’ dropping him twice in the fourth round before sealing the deal with a brutal fifth-round knockout at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens. Riding high off this dominant performance, Hamzah Sheeraz has set his sights on Canelo in 2026, calling him out in the aftermath, and Frank Warren believes his rising star can deliver once again.

In a clip shared by IFL TV on Instagram, Warren stated, “Sensational performance, you know. He came to New York and done what Canelo couldn’t do. He stopped the man, and he has put himself well and truly ahead of the mix.” Though Canelo Alvarez dropped Berlanga in the third round of their bout last year, the fight still went the full 12 rounds, with the Mexican winning by unanimous decision without much of a sweat.

Warren went on to say, “I think he’ll will go number one, on probably on all the organizations now and strength for that. And that fight on September is gonna be, I mean from our point of view, and Hammer’s point of view, it’s one thing, we are all gonna be watching because we all want them winning.”

When asked if he expected that kind of performance from the 26-year-old, Warren replied, “Yeah. I said on the stage what would happen to him. I told him he [Hamzah Sheeraz] would knock him [Edgar Berlanga] out, and I never do all that stuff on you know.”

When the reporter followed up by asking what made him so confident, Warren, who has promoted Sheeraz since signing him to Queensberry Promotions on his 18th birthday in 2017, kept it simple: “I just knew he would.” With the veteran promoter’s faith and support firmly behind him, Hamzah Sheeraz now sets his sights on the biggest prize of all, a fight with Canelo Alvarez. And with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh reportedly giving the green light, that showdown may be closer than ever.

Turki Alalshikh drops six-word reaction to Hamzah Sheeraz’s Canelo callout

“If I do get the opportunity to fight him, it won’t be one of those where I try to nick it on points. I will stand in the middle with him and have it out. Whoever lands first, I suppose they’re gonna knock out, don’t they?” Hamzah Sheeraz declared in his post-fight interview. While Canelo Alvarez is currently focused on his second bout in the four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and his Riyadh Season, against Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, HE Alalshikh himself seems to have endorsed Hamzah Sheeraz as a future opponent. “Hamzah now deserves Canelo in 2026🔥🥊,” he wrote in a six-word message of approval.

And what made the Slough native’s win over ‘The Chosen One’ even more remarkable was the context. He walked into Berlanga’s home turf in New York as a major underdog, largely due to the doubts lingering from his previous outing, a split decision draw against Carlos Adames. Yet, Sheeraz didn’t just edge out a win; he delivered a statement performance by knocking out Berlanga.

Ultimately, reactions poured in following the stunning finish, with Claressa Shields also posting, “Damn.” On top of it, Ryan Garcia, who once trained alongside Canelo, also expressed his admiration, writing on X, “Damn what a performance for hamzah sheeraz 🥊 A+.” Despite the buzz surrounding Hamzah Sheeraz’s breakout moment, it remains uncertain whether Canelo will entertain the challenge.

With only a few years left before his planned retirement at age 37 or 38, Alvarez may be eyeing bigger legacy fights after Crawford. Anyway, do you think Canelo Alvarez would beat Hamzah Sheeraz if they fought next, or would the young Brit prevail?