Hamzah Sheeraz still wants Canelo Alvarez to fight in 2026 despite his loss, with Terence Crawford as a security background

Hamzah Sheeraz says a struggle between him and Canelo Alvarez remains possible by the beginning of 2026, despite the loss of the Mexican star against Terence Crawford on Saturday night. Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 kos) is not sure if Canelo will want to return to the ring in February.

Hamzah claims that he would like to fight Crawford (42-0, 31 kos) for his four super-upper belts if he fails to fight Canelo. It is the Mandatory WBC for this belt.

Sheeraz in the struggle of Canelo

“I could still fight Canelo. I don’t know if I would fight as soon as in February, “said Hamzah Sheeraz to Ring Magazine He is still interested in fighting Canelo Alvarez despite his loss before Terence Crawford last Saturday.

This would be interesting if Canelo ended up fighting at Sheeraz then instead of a resale with Crawford or Dmitry Bivol. Alvarez did not suggest after the fight last Saturday on who wants to fight below.

If Canelo decides not to fight a resale with Crawford, Sheeraz would be an excellent option. Canelo should be much more aggressive than he showed against Crawford and could not afford to fade in the rounds of the championship.

Sheeraz would be more dangerous for Alvarez than Crawford for its size, power, speed and aggression.

Hamzah’s challenge in Crawford

“I would like a shot to the titles. Crawford got them in the minute. If you keep the weight, I will fight it. I do not see him down. There are no great fights for him in 160. Even in 154, you can rule it out. It would be one of the biggest fights for him,” said Sheeraz.

There is a chance that Hamzah could get a title shot against Crawford, but this would depend on Turki Alshikh who wanted this game. If he decides to do the reanimation of Canelo and Crawford, he would eliminate the possibility that Sheeraz had a title shot. Crawford coach Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre could have some contribution as to whether Bud would fight against Sheeraz.

Last Sunday, “Bomac” made it clear that David Benavidez was not interested in Crawford’s next rival. He also rejected the possibility of fighting between Crawford and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, saying that Philadelphia’s native does not want to fight him. This was “Bomac” talking about “boots”, which is a clear sign that it is McIntyre who does not want the struggle. There is a lot of risk for Crawford to fight the Ennis that improves rapidly.

The invived views of Sheeraz Crawford as “King of Sport” Now following his victory over Canelo. You can now get bigger fights that have been out of reach over all these years.

Hamzah is the Mandatory Challenger WBC for the Super Medium title now Crawford has. So, even if the belts are vacant, Sheeraz will be in the front of the line to fight for them against the best classified available contestant. This would be number 2, Jaime Munguia.

Future of belts

If Crawford releases the four titles of 168 to disassociate them for any reason, “will open the division,” says Sheeraz. Contestants can fight for four belts and soon we would have a situation where there are four champions.

This would be beneficial for boxing because it gives more opportunities for interesting fights compared to the way it is now, with Crawford holding the four belts. If you return to your struggle for a year, this would be the worst possible for the division of 168 pounds. He would sit on the titles, as he had with the middle weight belt of WBA after capturing it 13 months ago on August 3, 2024.

Sheeraz is not sure if Crawford will retire and give up on his four titles. He states that now is the time for “capitalization” in terms of business after his victory over Canelo. You can make a lot of money taking fighters like Hamzah.

Sheeraz says he would be open to fight Diego Pacheco for one of the world titles or in a title defense. However, he doubts that Pacheco will remain in 168 for a long time because he is quickly overcoming the division.