{"id":14554,"date":"2025-07-22T03:55:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T03:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/14554\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T03:55:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T03:55:16","slug":"hearn-sheeraz-pacheco-should-be-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/14554\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearn: Sheeraz-Pacheco should be next"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hamzah Sheeraz<\/a> is the talk of the town.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) just scored a scorching hot fifth-round stoppage win against Edgar Berlanga<\/a> last week in New York, headlining Ring III to turn himself into a top challenger for Canelo Alvarez\u2019s throne.
Fellow unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco had a perfect opportunity to follow Sheeraz\u2019s statement win with a prolific performance of his own against Trevor McCumby<\/a> on Saturday, but he instead scored a ho-hum, workmanlike near-shutout decision by primarily pumping his jab all night.
Pacheco (24-0, 18 KOs) had to fight to a smattering of boos, and it wasn\u2019t the kind of performance that got many excited for what could potentially be next for him, especially after going the distance with Steven Nelson<\/a> in January.
However, Pacheco promoter and Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn believes it\u2019s the perfect time to pit Pacheco, The Ring<\/a>\u2019s No. 2-rated fighter at 168 pounds, against Sheeraz, No. 7 in the division. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a solid win,\u201d said Hearn. \u201cI thought Diego lacked a little bit of variation at times. It was a mature performance, but sometimes you have to win a little bit ugly. He banked 12 rounds against a very good fighter. He’s 24 and becoming a good fighter and has a great future ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Pacheco against Hamzah Sheeraz. They are the future of the division. If Hamzah is going to have a fight before Canelo Alvarez and wants to roll the dice, let’s do it between two great 168-pounders \u2026 I know Turki Alalshikh likes Hamzah Sheeraz, but it’s a great fight. I don’t think Hamzah is going to want to wait until February or, more likely, May [to fight Alvarez].\u201d<\/p>\n

Pacheco<\/a> didn\u2019t call out Sheeraz or any other specific opponents after the win, but he explained that he felt comfortable controlling the contest from the outside to stay away from McCumby\u2019s sneaky counter shots. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt OK with the performance,\u201d said Pacheco. \u201cI was trying to find my distance, work my jab, and control the fight. I was looking for some shots, but Trevor made it tough to pull off on him. All I was worried about was getting this win and preparing for the next one. I had to take care of business, and I know there are big fights coming after this. I want anybody in the top 10 as I close my way into a world title.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring\u2019s lead writer. Follow him on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>: @ManoukAkopyan