Canelo Alvarez challenges Hamzah Sheeraz and Osleys Iglesias to a direct duel before one of them is allowed to challenge him.
Canelo Alvarez has a clear opinion on how Hamzah Sheeraz and Osleys Iglesias can earn a fight against him. The Mexican superstar explained in a podcast that both world champions should first fight each other before one of them lays claim to a duel with him.
For Alvarez, simply holding a title is obviously not enough. The former pound-for-pound king emphasized that both Sheeraz and Iglesias are strong boxers and deserve their position. At the same time, however, he made it clear that a direct clash between the two would be the most logical step from his point of view. Only then would he consider a fight against the winner. Both Sheeraz and Iglesias have recently celebrated important successes. Iglesias secured the vacant IBF super middleweight title in April with a T.K.O. victory over Pavel Silyagin. Sheeraz followed suit last weekend and won the vacant WBO belt against Alem Begic in Egypt.
Canelo himself faces a different task first. The Mexican returns to the ring on September 12 in Saudi Arabia against Christian Mbilli. After his defeat to Terence Crawford and an elbow operation, Alvarez is highly motivated and expects a dangerous opponent. Nevertheless, it seems clear that the names Sheeraz and Iglesias are already keeping Canelo busy – but only on the condition that they prove themselves to each other first.
Text by Robin Josten