Hamzah Sheeraz has been added to The Ring’s top 10 super middleweight rankings after his knockout win over Edgar Berlanga last Saturday night in Queens, New York. The unbeaten Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) has been placed at the #7 spot in the updated Ring 168-lb rankings.
The ease with which Sheeraz annihilated the hard-hitting Berlanga in five rounds at the Louis Armstrong Stadium was an eye-opener for fans. It showed two things:
- Canelo Alvarez may not be the top dog at 168. He was forced to go the full 12-round distance against Berlanga last year.
- Sheeraz’s hand speed, power, and technical skills are light years ahead of most fighters at super middleweight.
Hamzah, 26, still needs to do more to show that he’s for real, though, as beating Berlanga is not nearly enough for fans to know if he’s the genuine article. Turki Alalshikh said recently that he wants Sheeraz to fight Canelo in 2026.
Assuming that fight happens next year, it’ll give Hamzah a chance to take Alvarez’s spot as the King of the 168-lb division. You can argue that Alvarez has artificially kept himself at the top of the division the last few years with his calculated selection of opposition. Canelo would likely have lost his spot a long time ago if he’d fought David Benavidez and David Morrell before they moved up to 175.
Updated Ring Magazine 168-lb Rankings
Champion: Canelo Alvarez
- Christian Mbilli
- Diego Pacheco
- Osleys Iglesias
- Armando Resendiz
- Jaime Munguia
- Caleb Plant
- Hamzah Sheeraz
- William Scull
- Vladimir Shishkin
- Bektemir Melikuziev
Osley Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs) should be moved up to the #2 spot ahead of Diego Pacheco, because he’s a far better talent. The former Cuban amateur talent has true one-punch power and would be lethal for anyone in the division.
The list needs some subtractions. Move Jaime Munguia and Caleb Plant off the list entirely. Munguia’s recent positive test for exogenous testosterone metabolites after his win over Bruno Surace on May 3rd makes him unworthy of being in the Ring Magazine top 10.
The former IBF 168-lb champion Caleb Plant’s 12-round split decision loss to Armando Resendiz on May 31 was his second defeat in his last three fights. With a 1-2 record, ‘Sweethands’ Plant doesn’t have the credentials to make it onto the Ring Magazine’s prestigious top 10 club.
Add Bruno Surace to the top 10 list because his loss to Munguia needs an asterisk due to Jaime’s failed drug test after the fight. The commission overseeing the Munguia-Surace battle still hasn’t made a ruling to change the result to a no-contest. However, Surace still belongs on the Ring’s top 10 super middleweight list given Munguia’s positive test.
Last Updated on 07/16/2025
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