Hamzah Sheeraz TKO1 Liam Williams... British middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz took a big step forward over the weekend with a big win over Liam Williams at the Copper Box Arena in London. Nine out of the eleven fights on the show ended early. But according to promoter Frank Warren, it was Sheeraz who really showed himself to be a class apart, ending the show with 24 seconds remaining in just the first round.  Warren said, "Let’s get this right. Liam is, and has always been, a fearsome competitor. He has encountered serious problems early in recent big fights but has always come through and the only stoppage on his record previously was due to a particularly savage cut. Naturally, I believed Hamzah would emerge triumphant. But not like that. I thought Liam would provide significant jeopardy and probably take him into the trenches at some point. It was not to be and it was almost a replica of Hamzah’s exploits in Poland, where his jab just destroyed the senses of the man in front of him."

 

Sheeraz will now get ready for Ramadan, and Warren thinks he may be ready for a world title shot: "Personally, I wouldn’t have any hesitation over matching Hamzah with Janibek Alimkhanuly, the Kazakh southpaw, who holds two world title belts. He says nobody wants to fight him, so we have now got someone for him, if he is up for it. We will see what transpires and take it from there."

 

Sam Noakes TKO4 Lewis Sylvester... On the same show, Sam Noakes, won the British lightweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of the previously undefeated Lewis Sylvester. Warren said, "I feel Sam is a little bit underrated and that some people view him as just a crash, bang, wallop merchant. There is much more to him than that and he can box when he has to, but he will go for it if a finish is there.  I do get a real kick out of delivering big title opportunities for the likes of Sam when you can see just how much it means to them. You don’t get into this game for gratitude, but it is a special feeling when fighters do appreciate the work of the whole team behind them and can’t keep a big smile off their face."