Three reasons you can't miss Sheeraz vs Torres on BT Sport

Hamzah Sheeraz tops the bill at the Copper Box Arena in London this weekend as one of Britain’s most promising prospects looks to make a statement against visiting middleweight Francisco Emanuel Torres.

The 23-year-old fighter from Ilford picked up the prestigious Young Boxer of the Year Award at the annual Boxing Writers’ Club ceremony earlier this year and has been tipped for the top by those in the know for a long time.

He’ll be supported in the British capital by a stellar undercard including the return of British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Lennox Clarke.

Clarke has been out of action since demolishing former amateur youth gold medallist Willie Hutchinson last March in the very same venue he will mark his comeback, taking on fellow hard-hitter Mark Heffron.

Plus with the likes of Nick Ball, Karol Itauma and Dennis McCann also set to appear, there’s plenty to keep you entertained over the course of a brilliant evening of boxing at the Copper Box Arena.

Here are three reasons you don’t want to miss the action this Saturday night on BT Sport.

Sheeraz’s time to shine

Hamzah Sheeraz will have the chance to showcase his skills for the first time since being crowned Young Boxer of the Year when he takes on Francisco Emanuel Torres this weekend.

Sheeraz follows in the footsteps of the likes of Nigel Benn, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and George Groves in winning the prestigious award and has been tipped for similar success on the world stage to his esteemed alumni.

Stood at 6ft 3ins, 23-year-old Sheeraz towers above most in the middleweight division despite having already moved up from the super-welterweight division this year.

Now working under the tutelage of trainer Ricky Funez at the legendary Ten Goose Gym in Los Angeles, Sheeraz has stated his commitment to continue training in the USA for the foreseeable future – despite a reported £50k outlay on each training camp.

However, that will be money well spent if the man from Ilford can make quick work of another opponent this Saturday evening.

Sheeraz stopped domestic opponent Jez Smith in double quick time last time out, halting “The Can Man” in his tracks before the end of the second round on his middleweight debut.

Torres looks the step up in competition Sheeraz needs, however, having battled to a commendable draw against world title challenger Jose Benavidez Jr last time out.

"There were loads of names chucked at us - world level names as well - and we said yes to all of them,” Sheeraz explained.

“Torres is the one who said yeah and he is ranked higher than me. He knows his way around the ring, he knows what he is doing and he is not here to mess about, so hopefully I can get the job done in a good fashion.

"Hopefully I will win this fight and get a top six ranking with the WBC. Once you are there, in a few more fights, I could get myself either into a mandatory position or the champion might decide to have a voluntary defence. If they choose me then happy days!"

Can Sheeraz maintain a blazing start to his undefeated career - or will the slick South American put the brakes on his mission for world titles?

Bombs away!

Lennox Clarke’s long-awaited return to action in a must-see firefight against Mark Heffron could end up stealing the show this Saturday as the two domestic rivals trade leather for the coveted Lord Lonsdale belt.

It will be the first defence of Clarke’s British and Commonwealth titles after his magnificent upset win against rising star Willie Hutchinson last March.

Hutchinson, a former gold medallist of the Youth World Championships, had been strongly favoured to continue his rise to prominence at Clarke’s expense only to be floored multiple times by the big-hitting Birmingham man.

Clarke had been set for a breakout season after that victory last year only to be foiled twice by injuries throughout 2021; first the 30-year-old fractured his ribs in August before breaking an ankle towards the back end of the year.

Now healthy and fully fit, Clarke is keen to make up for lost time with another explosive victory over a big name in the 168lb division.

“It’s going to come down to who wants it more and he doesn’t want it more than me,” Clarke said.

“It’s got the potential to be a fight of the year. Me and Mark are going to bring nothing but fireworks but I believe I’ve got the beating of him a million ways and I believe I’ll get the victory.”

Hall of Fame promoter and Queensberry Boxing boss Frank Warren agreed, adding: “Lennox Clarke v Mark Heffron has got war written all over it and neither man is fond of taking a backward step and both carry huge power.”

Heffron will hope he can make it third time lucky when he challenges for the British title once again this weekend having fallen at the final hurdle twice before.

Those losses, stoppages against both Liam Williams and Denzel Bentley, are no disgrace however, particularly given the 30-year-old is otherwise unbeaten with 20 knockouts from his 26 wins.

Can Kid Dynamite shrug off the weight of history on his third attempt at the belt – or will Clarke pick up where he left off?

Keeping the Ball rolling

Liverpool’s Nick Ball will look to keep his undefeated record intact this weekend when he makes his first appearance since stealing the show on April’s record-breaking Fury vs Whyte card at Wembley Stadium.

The 25-year-old rising featherweight star clobbered Isaac Lowe (above) from pillar to post during a six-round blitz of the man from Morecambe, announcing himself to an audience of millions across the globe in the process.

Ball had been set to challenge for the vacant British title against Nathaniel Collins but the Scot was forced to withdraw due to injury, meaning the battle for the Lonsdale belt will now go ahead at a later date.

Instead Ball takes on Namibia’s Nathan Kakololo, 33, who holds a record of 14-3-1 with six stoppages – two of which have come inside his last three wins.

With the promise of that elusive British title shot contingent on another victory this weekend, don’t be surprised to see Ball’s punches thrown with a bit of extra sauce as he goes in search of a 16^th win at the Copper Box Arena.