Hamzah Sheeraz and Jake Catterall set to compete for titles on Usyk-Verhoeven undercard
Hamzah Sheeraz is set to compete against Alem Begic for the WBO super middleweight championship on the undercard of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven event on May 23 in Egypt.
The complete undercard was revealed by Ring Magazine, the promoter of the event, on Friday.
As reported by ESPN on Monday, the lineup also features Jack Catterall’s WBA “regular” welterweight title bout against Shakhram Giyasov.
Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) is coming off a knockout victory over Ekow Essuman in November, showcasing an impressive performance on the undercard of the Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr. fight.
Rolly Romero holds the full WBA championship at 147 pounds.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) earned his shot at a world title after defeating Edgar Berlanga with a Round 5 knockout in July of the previous year.
The British fighter previously contended for the middleweight title in February 2025 but ended in a draw with defending champion Carlos Adames in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before ascending to a higher weight class.
Also featured on the card is Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez, who will take on American prospect Richard Torrez Jr.
26-year-old Torrez Jr. (14-0, 12 KOs) secured a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and is regarded as one of America’s most promising young talents, but he faces a significant challenge against Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs), whose sole loss occurred against German Agit Kabayel, the WBC interim title holder, in May 2024.
Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight title against Verhoeven in front of the Pyramids of Giza.
