Andy Lee believes Hamzah Sheeraz, the man dubbed “The British Tommy Hearns,” would have fit right in at the Kronk Gym due to his “shocking” power.
Although the Berlanga victory came at the end of his first camp in Dublin under Lee, the highly rated coach was not willing to take any credit for the win. Lee suggested that it was Sheeraz’s inherent qualities that secured it.
“His punching power is truly shocking,” Lee told The Ring. “Hamzah can punch like hell. It really took me by surprise. His left hand is … the only way I can describe it is shocking when he hits you on the pads.
“And then when it comes to sparring, I see it every time because these guys get in the ring with all these ideas and then the first jab lands and you see their expression change immediately.”
On the Berlanga victory, which included two knockdowns in the fourth round before the finish came in the fifth, Lee added, “I don’t think you saw any of the real stuff we did in training.
“And I think the stuff that knocked Berlanga out, Hamzah always did that. He could always put his hands up and go forward and dig in.”
It was Sheeraz’s promoter, Frank Warren, who first offered the practically unknown youngster professional terms back in 2017, who labelled him “The British Tommy Hearns” due to his tall, wiry frame, long levers and concussive power.
Lee trained under the late Emanuel Steward and spent many years at the Kronk Gym in Detroit, where Hearns made his name. He is therefore well placed to comment on Warren’s suggestion.
The Irishman, a former WBO middleweight champion, said, “It’s an obvious comparison just because of the size and the height and the power.
“But it’s also the attitude … Just wanting to just hurt somebody. Hamzah would have fitted in alright at the Kronk. He would have been perfect in the basement.”
But Lee thinks the real improvement will begin in their next camp, now that Sheeraz has adapted to the training methods properly.
“Once he comes back,” Lee said, “it will probably take a couple of weeks of building back to where we were and where we left off. Then we’ll have the luxury of working on some of the finer points. We’ve kind of grasped the essence of it now. He just needs to know the basics and then he’s going to get the more flashy stuff, I guess.
“Before he came here, I didn’t really study him much, to be honest with you. I just knew he was coming and thought I could have a positive impact. But just listening to him and hearing all the stories and how he trains, he’s been through the trenches.”