Accepted wisdom has it that you should never meet your heroes. The risk being that the real-life image might not match the idealised version.
Or, alternatively, they might be trying to smash your face in, which is potentially the conundrum facing Hamzah Sheeraz.
The 26-year-old British boxer has positioned himself for a shot at Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after beating the former world-title challenger Edgar Berlanga in New York last month.
The bout was a WBC eliminator against a fighter who had taken Alvarez the distance, before losing via a unanimous decision, last September.
That had been the only previous loss of Berlanga’s career, but the American was knocked down twice in the fourth round by Sheeraz, then summarily knocked out in the fifth.
Sheeraz is now in line for a shot at the undisputed super middleweight title. That is held by Alvarez, who must first fight Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on September 13.
The 35-year-old Mexican is the biggest draw in boxing outside of the heavyweight division, and Sheeraz is thrilled by the idea of facing him.
“[The Berlanga win] has definitely put me as the front runner for the Canelo fight and I think it’s a very realistic and possible fight that could be next for me in my career. It’s what dreams are made of,” Sheeraz told The National.
“You always hear the term ‘idols become rivals', and this is exactly that. I’ve always watched him since being young and growing up and, now I have the opportunity, or will have the opportunity to actually fight him.”
While the sentiments about fighting his hero might seem starry-eyed, Sheeraz knows he will need steely resolve if he is to make a success of the prospective bout. He has already been counselled as such by someone who knows a thing or two about it.
“Now my mentality has to change,” Sheeraz said. “I met Prince Naseem Hamed, and he told me, ‘Now you have to look at him as an opponent, someone who is trying to take food off your table'.
“So now the whole ideology changes. It’s about becoming that unified champion at 168lbs [76.2 kgs, the upper limit for super middleweight]. It means the world, it means everything to me and I’m looking forward to it.
“I wouldn’t say its daunting in any way. I think I’m experienced enough, I’ve been in professional boxing for seven-eight years now and I’ve been in boxing since I was eight – so coming up to 20-odd years.
“Now it’s just about relishing the opportunity, and not making him [out to be] such a big star. He’s got two arms, two legs, and it’s about being the better man on the night when I do get in [the ring] with him.”
Sheeraz stands on the brink of the biggest fight of his career having accrued a record of 22 fights, no losses, and one draw, with 18 knockouts.
His rise to this position has often included training in Dubai. Four years ago, for example, he was training at Real Boxing Only, a gym in Al Quoz, in the UAE summer heat, with the air-con switched off and a sweat suit on, doing everything he could to boil down to 154lbs (just under 70 kgs).
At that stage of his career, he was an anomaly: a 1.91m-tall super welterweight. He would tower over opponents, and his reach was massive in comparison, but his frame was wiry.
Now he has packed on muscle, moved up two divisions, and says he is at his ideal weight as a result.
“Making 154lbs was an incredible challenge,” he said. “At that time, my muscle mass was not as developed as it is today, and the training methods, facilities, and team I had around me were still gaining experience.
“The move to 160lbs was already demanding, and now I’ve progressed to 168lbs, which is a much more natural and healthier weight for me. At this stage, the process feels more sustainable – no more extreme sweat-suit sessions – and we can even train with the AC on.”
Making weight for the Berlanga fight was a breeze, he said, in comparison to the challenge of having to fight a New Yorker on his home patch.
“Moving up to 168lbs for the Berlanga fight felt very natural,” Sheeraz said.
“The weight itself was comfortable because I knew I wouldn’t be facing such a big battle with the scales. There was still a small challenge, but nothing overwhelming.
“Mentally, that makes a huge difference; you don’t have the added pressure of fighting the scales before the actual fight.
“The real challenge came from stepping into his backyard and adjusting to a new coach, which naturally added pressure. But in terms of the move up in weight, it felt right and suited me perfectly.”
His dominance in the fight in New York at a new weight division was a huge boost for Sheeraz, following on from the draw he had in his previous fight.
In February, he was adjudged to have shared the spoils with Carlos Adames at The Venue Riyadh Season in the Saudi Arabian capital.
He banished any lingering doubts about that bout against the Dominican fighter with his explosive display on his first appearance in the United States.
“In terms of my US debut, I wouldn’t say I gained confidence from that fight itself, because I was already going in full of belief,” Sheeraz said.
“I know that might sound unusual given I was coming off a draw in my previous performance, but after that I made some changes. I refreshed my team, and I started working with The Brain & Performance Centre in Dubai.
“The strategy and recovery protocols they put in place really helped me overcome the setbacks from the last fight and allowed me to go into camp stress-free, injury-free, and in a much better mental and physical state.
“So, while I didn’t necessarily take confidence from the result, I felt I had almost manifested it and I knew it was going to happen.”
Having staged pre-fight training camps in the city previously, Sheeraz moved to Dubai full-time earlier this year.
His fight prep has included sessions at The Brain & Performance Centre in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, which specialises in hyperbaric oxygen therapy programmes.
The clinic has been used by a number of notable sports people who have suffered brain injuries in the past, such as former England rugby captain Dylan Hartley.
Sheeraz says he noticed “faster recovery from injuries, sharper performance, and a stronger, more resilient mindset” as a result of his sessions there.
While the switch to Dubai has made for a different lifestyle to the one he had growing up as an aspiring fighter in Slough, near London, he says he has not changed.
“I’m still the same person I was back in 2021, the same young lad who stays humble and keeps his feet firmly on the ground,” he said.
“Of course, after my last fight I’ve been noticed a lot more, and it can feel a little surreal. Youngsters come up to me, and people often tell me they’ve been following my journey and sometimes they even know more details about my career than I do myself.
“It’s a unique and humbling experience, but it’s also something I’ve always aspired to, and I’m truly grateful for it.”
