Hamzah Sheeraz was covered in belts. Over the last four years the tall, striking Brit had been sacrificing to earn those straps.

He wanted to make an impact on a stage like Saturday night in London, England, appearing as the co-feature on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois IBF heavyweight undercard as part of Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition at Wembley Stadium.

It is safe to say Sheeraz left an indelible impressive.

It took Sheeraz a mere 305 seconds to chew up southpaw Tyler Denny to remain undefeated with a second-round stoppage victory at 2:05 to win the European middleweight title.

Ranked No. 3 at middleweight by The Ring, Sheeraz (21-0, 17 knockouts) had felt avoided—and after this destruction, it’s understandable. Denny (19-3-3, 1 KO) was knocked down in the first and second rounds.

The middleweight division seems wide open. It could be up to Sheeraz for the taking.

“I’ve always said I am a very humble man, humble in victory and humble in defeat, humble in life,” Sheeraz said. “I felt great. Just a massive thank you to my sponsor and everyone here who supported me today. I always leave down to my team. They knew what they are doing.”

Hamzah Sheeraz made easy work of Tyler Denny (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing).

Denny, 33, was coming off a big victory, handing Felix Cash his first pro defeat.

Sheeraz never gave him a chance.

Within the first 13 seconds of the fight, he had Denny down. There was a distinct height difference between the 5-foot-10 Denny and the 6-foot-3 Sheeraz.

Moments after the opening bell, Sheeraz had backed up Denny with the jab, then came over with a left hook that caught Denny behind his right ear, and sending Denny to the canvas. Denny, a natural southpaw, spent the rest of the first round trying to get within Sheeraz’s lengthy reach width.

In the second, the patient, calculating Sheeraz backed Denny up once more. With his high guard, the 25-year-old Sheeraz set up almost the same exact punch in the second round, when he knocked down Denny again with 1:04 left in the round.

He set up the knockout blow perfectly, landing a few probing jabs, a straight right, and then came over with a left hook right on Denny’s right ear and down went Denny again.

Referee Mark Bates immediately waved it over.

“I’m really tired of tracking down title fights now,” Sheeraz said. “Anyone at 168, bringing it on, let’s make it happen. It’s about delivering. I can only say thank you to my team.”

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.