Turki Alalshikh’s “Belt” Confusion: Berlanga Vs. Sheeraz On July 12th – Is A Title Truly At Stake?

Turki Alalshikh says the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz super middleweight headliner “could change everything,” and one of them will leave “with the belt” on July 12th. Fans are confused, wondering what title Berlanga (23-1,18 KOs) and Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) are fighting for in their 12-round contest at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. Turki said this week that Sheeraz or Chris Eubank Jr. will be fighting Canelo Alvarez next February.

Berlanga vs. Sheeraz Belt Doubt

Officially, Berlanga-Sheeraz is a WBC 168-lb world title eliminator to determine a mandatory to champion Canelo Alvarez. So, unless a lesser-known belt is at stake next month, this is just a title eliminator. There are already many boxing fans who believe that Berlanga and Hamzah don’t deserve to be getting a chance to earn a world title shot.

The 168-lb division has been weakened by the departures of David Benavidez and David Morrell when they moved up to 175 in 2024. However, there are other fighters that deserve to be positioned for a world shot without using the retreads, Berlanga, and Sheeraz.

Berlanga, 27, lost to Canelo last year by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision in September, and he’s only fought once since then, beating a 35-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz last March. That wasn’t a good enough win for Edgar to already position himself for another crack at Canelo.

Sheeraz is coming off a widely criticized 12-round draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames last February. He got outworked and out-punched in that fight by the champion Adames. Many people were shocked when the judges scored it as a draw because Adames appeared to have won 11-1 in a one-sided contest.

Turki Alalshikh’s Title Claims

Berlanga faces Sheeraz in a fight that could change everything 🥊
New York is set for a clash for the Super Middleweight Title — only one walks away with the belt 🔥

Louis Armstrong Stadium📍
July 12 🗓️
🎥 Live on DAZN

Book now https://t.co/P3R5nvAIBx pic.twitter.com/SSJjuAmfPA

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) June 23, 2025