Hamzah Sheeraz kept his WBO super middleweight title on Saturday night, but he didn’t win over the crowd. Battling through a grueling 12 rounds against Simon Zachenhuber at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia, the unbeaten champion (24-0-1, 19 KOs) secured a narrow majority decision.
The final scorecards read 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112 in favor of the champion. That narrow margin immediately sparked frustration throughout the arena. If you tuned in expecting a dominant showcase, the cautious approach left a lot to be desired.
Out in the ring, Sheeraz looked remarkably flat. He appeared highly reluctant to throw his right hand for long stretches of the fight. Commentators quickly speculated that he might have suffered an early hand injury. Sensing the hesitation, Zachenhuber consistently closed the distance and successfully targeted the champion’s body on the inside. That uninspired majority decision win raised serious doubts about a future Canelo Alvarez fight.
Fans erupted in boos as the announcer read the exact judges’ scorecards. Following the decision, this sluggish performance drew immediate comparisons to his disappointing draw in February 2025 against Carlos Adames. Sheeraz has spent months campaigning for a shot at the winner of the upcoming Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli bout. While this victory technically keeps him in the conversation, it certainly doesn’t help his momentum.
The championship bout served as the primary support feature before the Anthony Joshua versus Kristian Prenga heavyweight main event.
Earlier in the evening, Josh Kelly successfully defended his IBF junior middleweight title. He secured a unanimous decision victory over CaoimhÃn Agyarko in a bloody war. Despite suffering a severe gash on his nose, Kelly found a way to keep his belt. He even overcame a point deduction in the fifth round to pull away on the scorecards.