Team Queensberry’s designated captain Hamza Sheeraz repaid the faith placed in him by Frank Warren as he delivered an 11th-round TKO finish to give his team a 6-0 lead in the 5 vs. 5 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sheeraz took on Team Matchroom’s Austin “Ammo” Williams, and faced a little adversity early on as a big left hand from the American stunned Sheeraz and forced him to hold on during the opening rounds.
Sheeraz recomposed himself and enjoyed a big round in the third as he utilised his range and leverage to connect with big shots of his own. Then, in the fourth, it was Williams’ turn again as another powerful left hand found its mark.
Both men duelled it out at close quarters, with the shorter man Williams looking to land big hooks, while Sheeraz put sharp combinations together as he mixed up his punches.
As the bout moved into the middle rounds, Sheeraz started to take control, with the Essex native using an excellent, heavy jab to consistently score on Williams and keep the smaller man on the outside.
Perhaps knowing that he was losing the majority of the exchanges from mid-range, Williams closed the distance and got in Sheeraz’s face through rounds eight and nine as he tried to break the Englishman in the trenches.
But, despite Williams’ output at close range, Sheeraz did well to block most of the American’s punches, then punished him with eye-catching shots, including some big uppercuts, and a big right hand that put Williams on shaky legs towards the end of the ninth round.
Then, in the 10th round, Sheeraz made the breakthrough with a huge lead right hook that sent Williams down to one knee seconds before the end of the round.
Williams appeared to recover well in his corner, with his team telling him that he needed a knockout to win the fight, and the American came out swinging at the start of Round 11. Unfortunately, it directly led to his demise.
With Williams looking to find a fight-stopping shot, Sheeraz took advantage of the opening and connected with a salvo of punches that put Williams out on his feet and forced the referee to step in and wave off the fight.
It gave Sheeraz a huge win, as he improved his perfect professional record to 17-0 and earned himself a shot at the WBC world middleweight title.
5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom – Official Results
- Zhilei Zhang (Q) def. Deontay Wilder (captain, M) via knockout – Round 5, 1:51
- Daniel Dubois (Q) def. Filip Hrgovic (M) via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 8, 0:57 – for IBF interim heavyweight title
- Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad via TKO – Round 6, 2:06 – for WBA Super and IBO light heavyweight titles
- Hamza Sheeraz (captain, Q) def. Austin Williams (M) via TKO – Round 11, 0:45 – WBC silver middleweight title
- Nick Ball (Q) def. Raymond Ford (M) via split decision (113-115, 115-113, 115-113) – for WBA featherweight title
- Willy Hutchinson (Q) def. Craig Richards (M) via unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 119-109) – for WBC silver light heavyweight title
