Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic Preview May 23rd, 2026
The vacant WBO Super Middleweight is on the line in Giza, Egypt this Saturday, May 23rd as undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz of England battles it out with unbeaten Alem Begic of Germany. The 12-round bout can be seen live on DAZN pay-per-view in most nations on the undercard of the Usyk vs Verhoeven bout. Sheeraz’s last fight resulted in a fifth-round stoppage over Edgar Berlanga in July. In his previous outing five months earlier he battled to a 12-round draw with Carlos Adames in a shot at the WBC Middleweight Title. Begic last saw action in April of last year when he halted Mahdi Safdari in the second round to retain his WBO European Super Middleweight Belt.
Sheeraz vs Begic Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Alem Begic +1800
- Hamzah Sheeraz -10000
My Pick
The undefeated Sheeraz, is just 26 years old and owns a near-perfect record of 22-0-1 with 18 Ko’s. He enjoyed a fine amateur career and has 103 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2017. He was a three-time finalist at the National Junior Championships but became disillusioned with boxing after being overlooked for the Commonwealth Youth Championships. He then took a year off to focus on an electrician’s apprenticeship before being talked back into the ring and turning pro.
It was a wise choice as Sheeraz won the vacant WBO European Super Welterweight Title in 2019 when he stopped Ryan Kelly in the sixth round. He defended the title four times and captured the vacant WBC International Silver Middleweight Belt in 2022 by halting Jez Smith in the second round. Sheeraz added the Commonwealth Middleweight Title in November, 2022 when he stopped River Wilson-Bent in the second round. Sheeraz stopped Tyler Denny in the second round in September, 2024 to retain his Commonwealth and WBC Silver Middleweight Titles and win the EBU European Belt.
Sheeraz is quite big for a super middleweight as he measures 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 75-inch reach so is 3.5-inches taller than Begic. He possesses plenty of power in his punching arsenal as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 81.8 per cent and he’s stopped 16 of his past 17 opponents. He stepped up in class against Adames and didn’t look as sharp as usual but rebounded well against Berlanga. So far his power has been too much for most of his opponents to handle. He also has wins against Austin Williams, Liam Williams and Bradley Skeete.
Begic is 13 years older then Sheeraz at the age of 39 and he makes the ring walk with a near-perfect mark of 29-0-1 with 23 Ko’s and has boxed 133 rounds since his pro debut in 2014. Unfortunately there’s no reach information for Begic but he stands just under six-feet-tall. As far as power is concerned, he’s also got quite a bit of it as 79.3 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in four of his last eight outings.
In 2055, Begic won the vacant Universal Boxing Federation European Light Heavyweight Belt and in 2028 he added the vacant IBF European Light Heavyweight Crown. He moved down to the super middleweight division and fought to a 10-round draw with Tiran Metz in a shot at the WBO Inter-Continental Belt. Begic then went back to light heavyweight and captured the IBO International Title. He has also won the German Light Heavyweight Belt. He’s never fought outside of Europe though and will be taking a huge step up in class this weekend as he’s never faced a contender. In fact just 16 of his 30 opponents entered the ring with a winning record.
Prediction…
Begic began his career as a cruiserweight and has also fought at light heavyweight and has weighed in for fights between 166 and 196 lbs. He’s just under six-feet-tall though while Sheeraz is 6-foot-3 and recently moved up from middleweight. Both boxers have good power but Sheeraz has the better overall boxing skills by far. When looking at their list of opponents this appears to be a bit of a mismatch but give Begic credit as he’s never lost as a pro. That streak is likely to end this weekend as I expect Sheeraz to win rather handily. However it’s possible he may have to go the distance to do so if Begic is as tough as his record may suggest.
Sheeraz is quicker and more skilled.
Play: Sheeraz -10000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Alem Begic betting • Hamzah Sheeraz betting