Canelo Alvarez still has a target on his back even before he is set to face Terence Crawford in September.
The undisputed super middleweight champion has been the de facto number one in the division for over five years now.
Canelo now faces a tough test in the Omaha fighter, even if Crawford is coming up in weight without a rehydration clause.
Many professional fighters are backing ‘Bud’ to win including UFC star Leon Edwards, who is going against Alvarez in the clash.
Hamzah Sheeraz’s devastating knockout win over Edgar Berlanga fuels Canelo fight talk
A keen observer in Las Vegas will be Hamzah Sheeraz, who made his super middleweight debut last night in New York.
The British fighter beat former Saul Alvarez opponent Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round after knocking his man down three times.
After the fight, he said: “Canelo’s always been a boxing hero of mine. If I do get the opportunity to fight him, it won’t be one of those where I try to nick it on points.
“I will stand in the middle with him and have it out, and whoever lands first, I guess they got knocked out, didn’t they?”
The Mexican knocked down Berlanga in the third round en route to a wide points decision in 2024.
Sheeraz became the first man to stop the Puerto Rican in 25 fights and has now established himself as a hard night for the division’s finest.
Fans react to a potential Canelo Alvarez vs Hamzah Sheeraz fight – with some picking a Sheeraz victory
Social media was rife with discussion of the fight and the chances of the 26-year-old against the 67 fight veteran.
One fan certainly believes the Ilford boxer has more than a chance of dethroning the division’s king.
They wrote: “The version of Hamzah Sheeraz we saw tonight beats Canelo. A huge size and power difference.”
But another fan was more cautious to state the former middleweight title challenger as an outright winner for one reason.
He explained: “I give him a chance but don’t get carried away, unless he has faded fast Canelo is still Canelo.
“Bodyshots would be the key. If he got those off Sheeraz would have problems.”
But even the suggestion of this fight happening was not to the taste of some fans.
One commenter wrote: “Mbilli & Pacheco deserve it more quit trynna get you guy to skip the line.”
A Crawford fan was also unhappy with talk of this fight promoted by outlets, he wrote: “Love this slap in the face to Crawford and his fans.”
An interesting take saw one user pick a completely different contest and urged the 34-year-old to hang up the gloves after fighting in September.
The X account wrote: “I’d like to see Hamzah Sheeraz fight Eubank Jr at 168 in a massive British fight or let him correct the Adames fight.
“Let Canelo retire after Crawford outboxes him.”
Another user decided to take the opportunity of the possible bout to take aim at two opponents, the current face of boxing has avoided.
“Canelo will be rushing to get this fight but not Benavidez or Bivol rematch.”
Even if the fight does not materialise, what is for sure is that Britain has the makings of a new superstar at super middleweight.