Hamzah Sheeraz's recent victory over Edgar Berlanga has ignited significant speculation regarding a potential bout with Canelo Alvarez in February 2026. Sheeraz, who became the first fighter to stop Berlanga, displayed remarkable skill by knocking him down twice and ultimately securing a fifth-round stoppage. This impressive performance not only elevated Sheeraz’s standing within the boxing community but also positioned him as a frontrunner for future high-profile matchups, including a confrontation with Alvarez .
Saturday's fight was a game of offense vs. defense. Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs), who is known for his heavily defensive style, started off the bout by dancing away from the aggressive-swinging Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs). Though Stevenson was more efficient, Zepeda was able to control the pace, forcing Stevenson to engage with the fight more so than his usual output.
In the third, fourth and fifth rounds, Zepeda cornered Stevenson into the ropes, getting in a few huge jabs. But Stevenson eventually pulled back into the center of the ring, staying technical and efficient with his blows. Zepeda continued to be relentless, throwing nearly four times as many punches as Stevenson, but keeping up with the fight with a shocking amount of endurance.
Stevenson landed an absurdly high 52.5% of his punches (295 of 565) over the course of the 12-round fight. Zepeda, while busy, struggled to connect against an opponent that stood right in front of him, landing 272 of 979 punches for 27.8%, according to CompuBox.
Reading those numbers, you would wonder what Stevenson meant when he said that he took more punishment than usual. When Stevenson isn't trying to stay in the pocket, he's using his lateral movement to stay out of range. According to Compubox, Stevenson allows the fewest punches to land on him per round compared to other championship-caliber fighters, with a miniscule 5.4 punches landed on him per round. On Saturday, Zepeda landed 22.6 punches per round. But Stevenson won 10 of 12 rounds on two judges' scorecards and 11 of 12 rounds on the third scorecard.
Stevenson's performance proved that he's undoubtedly main event material and can be extremely exciting when deemed necessary. He found it necessary to prove a point tonight and did exactly that with a one-sided drubbing of a man who was thought to give him a challenge.
The discussions surrounding this potential fight are further fueled by Sheeraz's expressed admiration for Alvarez and his intention to pursue a knockout strategy if they were to meet in the ring . Notably, the contrasting styles of both fighters add an intriguing dynamic; while Berlanga was criticized for his lack of aggression against Alvarez, Sheeraz’s more assertive approach could provide an exciting encounter for fans. However, concerns remain about the risks involved for Alvarez when facing taller opponents like Sheeraz.
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