When Hamzah Sheeraz last stepped in the ring competitively, just four months ago, he effectively ended the fight with a punch that wasn’t on, from an angle that wasn’t open. As Jez Smith lunged at his fellow Briton, Sheeraz pivoted to his left so sharply that he was barely on one foot as he drove a hook into his opponent’s jaw. Sheeraz quickly planted his feet and propelled a right straight in Smith’s direction – or rather to where the 28-year-old would have been, had he not already slumped to the canvas.
That first-round knockdown did not in fact see the fight called off, but Smith was clearly done, scrambling for consciousness as those around him scrambled for his lost mouthguard. Less than a minute into the second round, Sheeraz put Smith down – and away – to claim the vacant WBC International Silver middleweight title at Wembley Arena.
