Sheeraz Underwhelms vs Zachenhuber; Jacob Bank Likely Next
Hamzah Sheeraz defended his WBO super middleweight title at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia against Simon Zachenhuber. He earned a majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112) victory over Zachenhuber (29-2, 18 KOs). Next up for the champion is a likely title defense against unbeaten Danish contender Jacob Bank.
Against Zachenhuber, Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KOs) delivered an underwhelming performance. Many expected him to dominate, but the champion appeared stuck in first gear for much of the fight. The lack of sustained action frustrated fans, with audible boos echoing throughout the final round. To Zachenhuber’s credit, he fought with energy and determination. However, Sheeraz lacked the sharpness and aggression shown in his previous victories over Edgar Berlanga and Alem Begic. While he did enough to deserve the decision, it was far from the statement performance many anticipated.
ON TO THE NEXT
Sheeraz would prefer facing the winner of the October 31 clash between Christian Mbilli and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. However, that opportunity appears unlikely in the immediate future.
Instead, all signs point toward a meeting with Jacob Bank. Bank strengthened his position with an impressive seventh-round stoppage of Pawel August on the same card. The unbeaten Dane is a rising contender, currently ranked No. 2 by both the IBF and WBC.
With Sheeraz and Bank sharing the same manager, the matchup should be relatively straightforward to make. Expect the two unbeaten super middleweights to meet in England before the end of the year. This gives Sheeraz a chance to rebound, while Bank gets the biggest opportunity of his career.
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