Hamzah Sheeraz ignores Canelo Alvarez fight ahead of Edgar Berlanga clash

Ahead of his American debut this weekend, Hamzah Sheeraz has declined to entertain discussions about a potential bout with Canelo Alvarez.

The 26-year-old is gearing up for a significant clash on Saturday night at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, where he will take on local fighter Edgar Berlanga. Getting support from Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, Sheeraz stands on the verge of elevating his status within the boxing world with a win on what will be considered hostile ground.

Having last stepped into the ring for a draw against middleweight champion Carlos Adames back in February - a result that marked the end of his tenure in the 160lb division - Sheeraz is now eager to make waves in another weight class.

Alalshikh is reportedly setting the stage for Sheeraz to eventually square off against Mexican superstar Alvarez, who has expressed interest in one more UK fight before hanging up his gloves. Out of all the contenders, Sheeraz presents a reasonable choice for 'Saul' if he were to fight on British turf. However, despite speculation and the excitement of facing Alvarez, the Brit remains laser-focused on one thing, reports All Out Fighting.

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"I am just solely focused on Berlanga to be honest," Sheeraz told All Out Fighting and other reporters at a media roundtable last Wednesday. "It is only because I have learned from my last fight. In my last fight, everybody was talking about Eubank Jr this, Eubank Jr that. You end up eventually believing it, you eventually feel like that fight is going to happen regardless. I have definitely learned from my previous experience. And now I understand that the buck stops with Berlanga for now."

Coming into the clash off the back of a destructive knockout victory against Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz, Berlanga, at 23-1, poses a significant threat to Sheeraz's perfect record, especially given his 18 previous knockouts. The only loss on the 28-year-old American’s record was picked up in a bout with 'Saul' Alvarez last September.

Sheeraz is certain he has picked up on some of Berlanga's tendencies from that encounter but maintains that he and Alvarez are two different fighters. "There are a few habits but myself and Canelo are two completely different fighters," he expressed. "When you fight someone of Canelo's level and experience, you tend to respect them a lot more before you go into the ring, regardless of whatever everyone else says. I feel like my advantage going into this fight is that he is not respecting me, he is thinking that he is going to walk right through me. So that will play to my advantage for sure!"

On Berlanga, the young Brit has traded verbal jabs with his upcoming foe on several occasions since the fight was booked and admits that a win on fight night will feel much sweeter. "Definitely, it is always nice when you shut a loud mouth up," Sheeraz said confidently. "Whatever he says, he has to tell himself so he ends up believing in it. He is certainly an interesting character!"

Not only is Sheeraz making his US debut this weekend, but he will be stepping into Berlanga's patch. Despite all the pressure, the Brit believes that the onus is on the American to perform and insists the crowd will actually be rooting for him. "I think there is pressure on him because he puts it on himself by talking a lot... by being a loud mouth. That is his own issue at the end of the day. I have done my absolute best in training and it is all about me just going in there and doing what I do best really. In terms of the hostile environment, it is nothing I am really concerned about. Not surprisingly, a lot of people do not even like him and if anything, they are rooting for me... it will be a hostile environment for him!"

Tickets for Hamzah Sheeraz vs Edgar Berlanga are available here