Promoter Eddie Hearn sees the fight between middleweights Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams a “four to five round shootout” this Saturday, with his fighter, Ammo, blasting out the Queensberry captain in the ‘5 vs. 5′ event, live on DAZN PPV in Riyadh.
The 6’3’ Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) is considered the favorite in the eyes of many fans, but Hearn points out that he’s not fought anyone yet for him to earn that distinction.
The only notable name on the 25-year-old Sheeraz’s seven-year professional resume is Liam Williams, who had lost two out of his previous four fights and was considered past his best.
There’s no one else Sheeraz has fought, and that’s not a good thing going into a fight against ‘Ammo’ or ‘Tiger,’ whatever nickname Williams chooses to use for Saturday’s twelve-round fight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hearn Questions Sheeraz’s Experience
“Sheeraz against Ammo. Granted, we’re the underdog in that fight, but I said to Frank [Warren] the other day, ‘Who has Sheeraz beat?’ ‘Oh, well, he beat Liam Williams,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to TNT Sports Boxing about this Saturday’s middleweight fight between Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams on the ‘5 vs. 5’ event in Riyadh.
“‘Come on, Williams was done years ago.’ ‘Yeah, but he took him out in style.’ Yeah, he did, but I don’t think we can learn too much from that.’ Bradley Skeete [vs Sheeraz in 2021]. That was a backwards and forwards fight. He hit Skeete on the floor, and the fight changed. He [Sheeraz] was getting outboxed until that moment.”
It would have been better if Sheeraz had been tested well before getting to this stage, as he’s a seven-year pro, and he should have cut his teeth against world-class level opposition ages ago.
One problem that Sheeraz has is how bad the middleweight division is now. It’s one of the worst in boxing now, as stars like Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin have moved on. Jermall Charlo no longer fights in the weight class, leaving Sheeraz and Williams with no one else to fight to gain experience.
‘Hitman’ vs. ‘Hagler’: The Matchup
“Dmytro Mytrofanov in Poland. Alright. I like Hamzah; he’s a nice kid. Frank says he’s the Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns; well, I’ve got Marvin Hagler on the other side, and his name is Ammo Williams,” said Hearn.
“That is going to be a four or five-round shootout, and I just see that Hamzah Sheeraz pulling back, chin in the air, and Ammo coming over, tiger tail or not, and knocking this bloke out on Saturday night,” said Hearn.
If there’s an early knockout, you have to favor Sheeraz to get it because Ammo isn’t a big puncher, and he’s not a fast starter. Sheeraz is the one who looks for early knockouts, but he’s been helped by fighting sub-level opposition during his entire career.
We don’t know if Sheeraz can get the same results against a top-level fighter like Williams, but we’ll find out on Saturday night.
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