Jake Paul's boxing career has come with its fair share of naysayers. Recent WBC title challenger Hamzah Sheeraz isn't one of them.
Jake Paul's boxing career has come with its fair share of naysayers, and they were out in full force when the WBA ranked Paul as its No. 14 cruiserweight contender in the world following his latest win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., officially making Paul eligible to challenge Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez for the WBA world title.
Recent WBC world middleweight title challenger Hamzah Sheeraz, however, is a fan of Paul's presence in the sport. He told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he believes the journey of the influencer-turned-boxer could one day culminate in Paul stepping into the squared circle with a world champion.
"I'm a fan. He could've chosen any other sport, but he chose boxing," Sheeraz said ahead of his own return this Saturday against Edgar Berlanga. "You're going in the ring, you're risking your life, so there's respect there for him. And he's improving with every fight, and he's stepping up in his fights as well. I get it, they're tailoring the opponents to him, but that's how every pro [boxer's career works]. I wouldn't be surprised if, with the right world champion, he fights for a world title.
"I [also] wouldn't be surprised [if Anthony Joshua vs. Paul happened before Joshua vs. Tyson Fury], especially with how Jake Paul is going, the trajectory that he's on."
Paul called out former unified heavyweight champion Joshua after his unanimous decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past June in Anaheim, California. A Joshua vs. Paul fight would be a money-spinner for all involved, even if Paul's chances in the contest are nonexistent to the trained eye.
The name that will undoubtedly be at the top of Joshua's hit list, however, is British heavyweight rival Fury. Boxing financier Turki Alalshikh recently announced that Fury has pledged to end his retirement in 2026, putting a long-awaited Joshua vs. Fury matchup back into play. But it isn't Joshua's name that's been connected to a Fury comeback — it's that of the unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
"Not at all," Sheeraz said when asked if he believed Fury's January retirement would last. "Everyone knows what Tyson Fury is like, everyone knows what he's about. The dynamics of the sport of boxing right now, especially if you're Tyson Fury, you wouldn't be wise to walk away — even though he could, because he's achieved it all. The space boxing is in now, it's only right he stays.
"[Fury vs. Joshua is what I] want as well, but I think [the Usyk trilogy is] more for Tyson Fury himself. It's more for him as a fighter. It's for his ego — he needs to get that one back. If you look at the two fights [between Fury and Usyk], the first fight, alright, I thought Usyk won it. The second fight was a lot closer. If you're going off that, I think, in his head, the third fight he's going to dominate.
"I'd love to see [Fury vs. Joshua as well], I think we will see it. Maybe [at the] end of 2026."
As for his own career, Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) was fortunate to leave with a draw when he unsuccessfully challenged Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight championship this past February. His weight cut for that bout and his lackluster performance on the night prompted Sheeraz to move up to super middleweight — the same division all eyes in the boxing world will be focused on when Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Terence Crawford collide in September in the biggest fight of the past several years.
"[The cut was] really tough for the last fight," Sheeraz said of his descent to 160 pounds. "Normally I make weight on the night before, and then I wake up in the morning, have a bit of breakfast, and then I go to the weigh-in and I'm good on weight. This time, I woke up on the day of the weigh-in three pounds overweight, dry as anything. We were trying to take the weight off for a good three and a half hours. And after three and a half hours, it finally just came off and we made the weigh-in just in time."
Jumping up to the 168-pound division isn't the only change Sheeraz made after the lone blemish of his pro career. The British boxer also ended a five-year partnership with Los Angeles-based trainer Ricky Funez and is now coached by former world middleweight champion Andy Lee in Ireland.
"We went to watch [Lee] train Ben Whittaker for a bit, and I liked what I saw," Sheeraz explained.
"[I liked] the instant energy, and [how] nothing was forced. Normally, when you speak to some people sometimes, it's a bit forced. It's a little bit awkward, and they don't really understand how you are. The first week of camp, [Lee] figured out how I am pretty quick. No one's really done that before, because I can come across a bit, not awkward but different."
With a new weight class and a new trainer in his corner, Sheeraz is now just days away from the biggest fight of his career against Berlanga on July 12 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
The Nuyorican Berlanga unsuccessfully challenged boxing's biggest star, "Canelo," for the unified super middleweight belts this past September. Despite losing comfortably, Berlanga still performed better on the night than some expected, extending Alvarez to the full 12-round distance.
In stark contrast to the humble and respectful Sheeraz, Berlanga is known to be vocal in the lead-up to his fights. That clash of polar opposite personalities is keeping Sheeraz entertained.
"I expected it," Sheeraz responded when asked if Berlanga's trash talk made him uncomfortable. "As soon as I knew I was fighting him, I expected it. Already, mentally, you're ahead. It's not like you're fighting someone who doesn't speak, and all of a sudden, they've started saying this, that, and the other. I was prepared for it.
"I find it quite entertaining, to be fair. I'm taking it in, I'm enjoying it. Some of the stuff he's coming out with is quite comical. At the end of the day, what I like about it is it puts a lot more expectation on the fight. And therefore we both have to deliver — and that we shall do."
Alalshikh has named Sheeraz and Chris Eubank Jr. as the current frontrunners to face undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez in February 2026 if "Canelo" gets past Crawford. A win for Sheeraz over Berlanga would theoretically give him a coin-flip chance at landing an eight-figure payday against the Mexican superstar if Eubank Jr. also emerges victorious against Conor Benn on Sept. 20.
Should Sheeraz win and Eubank suffer defeat to Benn, then the 26-year-old's chances of standing across the ring from Alvarez next year would vault up tremendously.
Sheeraz expects Alvarez to beat Crawford in their Netflix-streamed battle of pound-for-pound greats from Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium.
"I think [there are] weight classes for a reason, and if you watch an interview with Crawford [from] a few years ago, even he said it himself," Sheeraz explained. "He said he doesn't think he and 'Canelo' will fight because [there are] weight classes for a reason, and [Alvarez is] naturally the bigger, heavier fighter. But when there's money on the table, it changes — and when it's financially rewarding, why not risk it?"
Category: General Sports
