There are some instances in boxing where favoritism becomes all too obvious. Despite the many contributions by Turki Alalshikh to the sport of boxing, his own bias towards certain fighters was noted during the midldeweight title bout between Dominican WBC champion Carlos Adames and British challenger Hamzah Sheeraz. Instead of backing down, however, the Saudi statesman has decided to double-down on his intent to see Sheeraz molded into a superstar; as became evident when the latest promotional material displayed Sheeraz in the headlining slot of the upcoming July 12 show that will be promoted/sponsored by The Ring.
Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KO’s) recorded an undeserving draw against Dominican WBC middleweight (160 lbs) champion Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO’s) on February 22nd, allowing Adames to retain his title but get robbed of a notable victory against one of the UK’s best middleweight fighters.
Following their bout, clips of Turki Alalshikh telling Sheeraz’ corner he was down on the scorecards surfaced ― only adding more fuel to claims of corruption after the Adames-Sheeraz judges scored the bout as a surprising split-decision (SD) draw.
Disappointedly, Alalshikh’s reaction to the controversy speaks for itself as it has now been confirmed Sheeraz and Puerto Rican-American opponent Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO’s) will be headlining the July 12th The Ring card that was set to feature WBC lightweight (135 lbs) champion Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KO’s) and William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KO’s) as its main-eventers.
Notably, Sheeraz and Berlanga will be competing in a WBC eliminator that will determine the mandatory challenger to the current holder of the WBC middleweight title ― former Sheeraz opponent Carlos Adames himself.
It’s all a bit convenient; a controversial draw for Sheeraz now followed by a contest that positions him into challenging for the world title again ― showing a rather clear interest to maneuver into a position of relevance.
Given the fact Hamzah Sheeraz is not the best middleweight in the division ― with Kazakhstan unified [WBO & IBF] 160-pound champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KO’s) arguably embodying that distinction, the placement of the Stevenson-Zepeda bout as the co-main event even more signifies Alalshikh’s clear influence coming at play.
Which was the exact sort of concerns that were drawn when Alalshikh bought The Ring ― the same company that will be responsible for promoting the upcoming June 12th card alongside other promotions.
In competitive terms, the Stevenson-Zepeda fight is much more significant for multiple reasons, including the fight having been roughly a year in the making since Zepeda became the #1 contender at lightweight while Stevenson held the WBC title. Of course, the nature of it being a world title fight over the Berlanga-Sheeraz bout being a final eliminator bout also speaks volumes.
Coupled with the America vs. Mexico narrative of the fight and the standing of both fighters in the sport, with Shakur Stevenson still enjoying a reputation as one of the US’ top young fighters and a pound-for-pound candidate, their bout is undoubtedly more significant than the Sheeraz-Berlanga bout.
But apparently, Alalshikh does not believe the Stevenson-Zepeda bout is as relevant, explaining the main billing of Sheeraz’ upcoming bout with Berlanga.
Alalshikh’s favoritism towards Sheeraz is not much of a surprise given they share the same religion of Islam, yet that is precisely the issue that warps the Saudi official’s reputation from that of a benefactor to a dictator-to-be.
Or simply dictator.
And with the Adames-Sheeraz result already denoting one instance of Alalshikh influencing proceedings, the Sheeraz-Berlanga bout is under heavy suspicion of experiencing the same given Alalshikh retains a clear sense of favoritism towards the fighter.
Even Sheeraz’ recent coaching changes suggests Alalshikh’s influence ― with the Saudi chairman having similarly influenced American prospect Jared Anderson to switch trainers ahead of a fight with Martin Bakole.
Of course, this sort of behavior by Turki Alalshikh is heavily ignored by nearly every stakeholder with the Saudi statesman’s investments into the sport virtually placing him as the defacto head of boxing itself, making it impossible to hold Alalshikh accountable.
Ultimately, it is exactly this sort of favoritism that could backfire for Alalshikh and allow things to balance itself out organically, with Berlanga still considered a genuine threat to Sheeraz’ chances of becoming a world title challenger.
And then there’s also the fights ahead. A rematch against Adames would still be difficult, even if Sheeraz approved accordingly, while fights against the other two champions in the division, WBA champion Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KO’s) and Alimkhanuly, remain steep obstacles the British fighter would need to overcome ― challenges that will soon determine whether Sheeraz is as highly rated as Turki Alalshikh seems to believe he is.