Hamzah Sheeraz Destroys Liam Williams in One Round

Hamzah Sheeraz proved himself to be the real deal at the Copper Box Arena in Lodon, blitzing Liam Williams inside a round.

Although he has fallen short against world level fighters like Liam Smith, Demetrius Andrade and Chris Eubank Jnr, Williams has proven himself to be a menace at domestic level. By beating the Welshman in such conclusive fashion, Sheeraz adds his name to that exclusive list. 

The fight was supposed to take place last December but was delayed when Sheeraz suffered a perforated eardrum. The fight seemed to generate more interest during the delay and interest and anticipation in the fight grew throughout fight week in British boxing circles as Williams cut a confident figure during the fight week activities.

The 6ft 3in tall Sheeraz dented that confidence within a minute, flooring Williams heavily with a solid jab. The knockdown extremely reminiscent of the way Eubank Jr. floored the Welshman in the opening round of their fight in February 2022.

Even though he had a sitting target in front of him, rather than getting carried away by his success, Sheeraz was cool and calm and picked his shots nicely. Williams was put down for a second time by a right uppercut moments later and although he got up again, he was being steadied by every shot Sheeraz landed. A short left hook turned Williams’ legs to stone and as he tottered back towards his own corner, his trainer and friend Gary Lockett threw in the towel.

After months of buildup, the fight was done and dusted after 2.36 of the opening round. 

The win will cement Sheeraz’s position inside the top five of the WBO middleweight rankings. Before tonight’s result, British middleweight champion Nathan Heaney sat one spot ahead of Sheeraz. If Heaney can beat Brad Pauls in Birmingham on March 16th, the path may be clear for a big outdoor event in Stoke this summer.