Fans are praising British-Pakistani boxer Hamzah Sheeraz after his major fifth-round stoppage victory over American boxer Edgar Berlanga in New York on Sunday.

 

Fighting for the first time at super middleweight, the 26-year-old dropped Berlanga twice in the fourth round and at the beginning of the fifth, forcing the referee to end the fight.

 

Sheeraz’s win at the Louis Armstrong Stadium at Flushing Meadows improves his record to 22-0 with one draw and 18 wins by knockout. It was his first bout since a draw with WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February, after which he decided to move up in weight.

 

Berlanga, on the other hand, suffered his second loss in three fights, taking his record to 23-2. He had previously lost to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on points before bouncing back with a stoppage win over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in March.

 

Sheeraz is now eyeing a dream clash with Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion.

 

“It would be an honour to share the ring with him; it genuinely would,” Sheeraz said. “One thing I can guarantee is if I do ever share the ring with Canelo, it's not going to be the case of what happened in his last fight, where his opponent [William Scull] was trying to run. Even if I get knocked out, I'll stand there and trade with him. I'll put on a good performance because that's what it's about, daring to be great, and I'll do just that.”

 

In the other co-main event, Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight world title with a unanimous decision win over William Zepeda. Stevenson improved his unbeaten record to 24-0 with 11 knockouts, comfortably winning on all three judges’ scorecards. It was the first loss for Mexico’s Zepeda, who now stands at 33-1.

 

Sheeraz’s dominant performance has earned him widespread praise on social media, with many fans calling him boxing’s next big star.

 

One user wrote, “Great fight that was today... Hamzah Sheeraz became a superstar tonight and knocked Berlanga down 2x before getting him out of there in round 6 when the referee waved it off... brutal beat down.”

 

Another fan praised his style, saying, “Power with the right straight left hook combo love to see it!”

 

Comparisons to past British greats also poured in, with one comment reading, “That like look like a young Amir Khan.”

 

Others applauded his bounce-back performance: “Sheeraz’s last fight wasn’t great but this was killer. Well done Sheeraz, that was impressive 👊🏽👊🏽.”

 

Another added, “Brutal knockout well deserved and well done Sheeraz.”

 

One fan summed up the mood, writing, “What a statement win on his US debut! 🥊💥”