Simon Zachenhuber heads into his World Championship bout on July 25 against defending champion Hamzah Sheeraz as the underdog. Nevertheless, the German super middleweight remains relaxed and optimistic.
When the boxing world turns its attention to superstar Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring on July 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a German fighter will also be in the mix. Super middleweight Simon Zachenhuber will challenge reigning WBO world champion Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KOs) on the Joshua vs. Prenga fight card. Following heavyweight Peter Kadiru, the 28-year-old from Erding (29-1, 18 KOs) is the second German professional boxer to get a shot at a world title in such a short span of time.
Impressive knockout rate
“For years, I’ve sacrificed everything for the sport and fought my way up the rankings one small, hard step at a time,” Zachenhuber said. In the current WBO rankings, the German professional boxer is ranked seventh. However, defending champion Sheeraz, who boasts an 83 percent knockout rate, enters this bout—scheduled as the co-main event—as the clear favorite. The British fighter won the vacant WBO title in May with a second-round knockout of Alem Begic.
“Hamzah isn’t the world champion for nothing, and he has a strong knockout rate,” says the “Matador.” “I’m coming to Jeddah as the underdog, but we know our strengths, too. It’s always been my dream to fight for the world title. I’ll give it my all to bring the belt back to Germany!” His trainer, Conny Mittermeier, feels the same way: “Of course we’re the underdogs. But we’ll do everything we can to win this fight!”
“Doing everything possible to shock the world”
Participating in one of the year’s most significant international fight cards marks an important presence for German boxing on the global stage. “Simon is one of the few Germans who has been in the world’s top 10 for quite some time,” says manager Lasse Krüger. “He absolutely deserves this opportunity. Thanks to the connections we’ve made through the Agit fights, we now have a few doors we can open. Of course, the guys have to walk through them themselves, and a huge challenge awaits Simon. The fact that he’s taking it on is what sets him apart—and he’ll give it his all that day to shock the world.”
The WBO super middleweight world championship bout between Simon Zachenhuber and defending champion Hamzah Sheeraz will be broadcast live on DAZN on July 25.
Text: Frank Schwantes