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Keys to Victory: Where will Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic break each other down?
Usyk vs. Verhoeven: Only on DAZN PPV - TONIGHT
In Hamzah Sheeraz’ only bid for a world title thus far, he battled Carlos Adames to a hard-fought draw and left Riyadh without a championship in tow.
‘The Quiet Storm’ will target a different ending tonight when he faces fellow undefeated fighter Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight world title. The fight takes place at the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, live and exclusive on DAZN PPV, and serves in chief support to the card’s headliner between unified heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk and kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) atoned for the February 2025 draw with Adames by brutally knocking out Edgar Berlanga that July in a statement win. He clashes with 39-year-old German fighter Begic (29-0-1, 23 KOs) who stopped Mahdi Safdari in April and will be fighting outside of Europe for the first time.
Will Sheeraz become a world champion and move onto bigger fights? Or will Begic snatch the title and the spotlight that comes with it? DAZN News hones in on the Keys to Victory for both fighters entering tonight.
Inside Usyk and Rico training camps
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Hamzah Sheeraz’ Keys to Victory
Establish range behind the jab
The quicker Hamzah Sheeraz can assert his range behind the jab, the better his chances will be to seize the WBO super middleweight world title and do it in style.
Fight footage on Alem Begic shows the German fighter inexplicably drops his guard quite a bit. That means Sheeraz will have open lanes to make Begic eat a buffet of stiff jabs.
Wrap hooks around the guard
With a height advantage, Sheeraz has the vantage point of wrapping hooks around Begic’s unsuspecting guard.
More than any other weapon, Sheeraz’ hooks should prove to be most potent in this world title fight.
Stifle Begic with shot selection
Sheeraz has a growing, deep bag of punches and the more he could dip into it, selecting the right blow at the right time, the easier this fight will go.
Fighters with a diverse punching palette — like Sheeraz — frustrate opponents along the way to outpointing or stopping them altogether.
Sheeraz should lean into his deep shot selection to win the title with emphasis, creating groundswell to line up a unification fight with WBA champ Jaime Munguia next. Another co-feature, this time on the Canelo Alvarez-Christian Mbilli card September 12, would be perfect.
Alem Begic’s Keys to Victory
Show a disciplined, tight guard
Alem Begic cannot step onto this world stage showing a lax guard or absence of defense altogether. Hamzah Sheeraz is too skilled of a boxer and power puncher for those kind of lapses.
The German fighter will give himself a better chance for the upset by showing and keeping a tight, disciplined guard throughout.
Lunge in, punch in traffic
Surrendering height as the smaller man, Begic is going to have to get inside of Sheeraz’ reach to do damage.
While he must cautiously lunge his way in, Begic — once there — should look to punch in traffic.
A distraction of a left hand can pave the way for the German pugilist to land a right on Sheeraz’ jaw.
Don’t shrink under the bright lights
Consider this: In his last three bouts, Sheeraz has fought at Wembley Stadium in London, ANB Arena in Riyadh, and Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. Those are three exotic world locations.
Meanwhile, Begic has never competed outside of Europe as most of his bouts took place in Austria and his native Germany.
Add that to the facts that this bout before the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt is also on DAZN PPV and the moment easily marks the biggest platform the 39-year-old veteran will ever experience.
Pressure comes with this. Therefore, it is imperative that Begic keeps composed, especially when experiencing turbulence against Sheeraz.
He cannot let the bright lights of the moment get to him — something that might be easier said than done.
Crowning a new star in boxing
DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla
I was there in my native Queens, New York last summer to cover Sheeraz’ breakthrough knockout of Edgar Berlanga. The KO really boosted his confidence. The stage tonight is set for Sheeraz to not only become a world champion for the first time, but a boxing star simultaneously.
I’m expecting another statement victory from 'The Quiet Storm.' An in-ring confrontation with Jaime Munguia in announcing a blockbuster unification fight at 168 pounds should follow. That’s how star power will be cultivated and attached to Sheeraz’ name and growing fight profile.
Watch Usyk vs Verhoeven only on DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven tonight, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPV, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
