Begic is nearing 40 years old and carries a resume filled mostly with obscure opposition. That has triggered skepticism about whether the fight is truly designed to test Sheeraz at an elite level or simply move him closer to the front of the Canelo line. The timing is important.
Canelo is scheduled to return in September against unbeaten WBC champion Christian Mbilli in Riyadh. If Alvarez wins and Sheeraz captures the WBO belt as expected, the ingredients for a major 2027 event would already be sitting there.
Sheeraz openly acknowledged during an interview last week that Alvarez remains a major target for him.
“A million%, a million%,” said Sheeraz to Ring Magazine when asked about eventually facing Canelo Alvarez. “I’ve always said he’s someone who I’ve took a lot of inspiration from and looked up to.”
Sheeraz also admitted Alvarez currently controls the super middleweight landscape.
“He calls the shots at the minute, but I reckon in about a year or so time, if inshallah, God willing, everything goes to plan, I’ll be in that position to be able to do that as well,” said Sheeraz.
The matchup with Begic has added to the perception that Sheeraz is now being maneuvered more like a future attraction than a fighter still proving himself.
His knockout win over Edgar Berlanga created major momentum earlier this year, but questions still linger from his difficult performance against Carlos Adames and the moments he struggled against Austin “Ammo” Williams before that.
Instead of facing dangerous contenders like Osleys Iglesias, Diego Pacheco, Lester Martinez, or even Mbilli himself, Sheeraz now finds himself one win away from a world title against a little-known veteran.
That has not stopped confidence from building around him. Sheeraz even predicted Alvarez would stop Mbilli inside six rounds in September.
“I believe he knocks Mbilli out within six rounds,” said Sheeraz about Canelo. “Styles make fights at the end of the day.”
That prediction may end up deciding Sheeraz’s own future.
If Canelo loses a second straight fight following last year’s defeat to Terence Crawford, the commercial value of a Sheeraz-Alvarez fight changes dramatically. A matchup built around Sheeraz facing a fading Alvarez coming off consecutive defeats would carry a very different feeling than fighting the sport’s still-active super middleweight king.
Sheeraz appears to be sitting in an ideal position. All he may need is a victory over Begic and a Canelo win over Mbilli for the path to become very real.
Read the full article here