Hamzah Sheeraz scored a superb save from Ammo Williams to give Frank Warren an unassailable lead.
Sheeraz went into his huge clash with Williams knowing that a knockout victory would see Warren lead 6-0 in the 5-on-5 tournament and kill Eddie Hearn’s chances of securing victory.
And it was Sheeraz who dropped his opponent in the eleventh, before a huge left hook saw the referee step in and close the show.
This gave Warren a 6-0 lead in the tournament format, with the undefeated middleweight earning four points, both being doubles for a stoppage.
Hearn now needed two knockouts in Filip Hrgovic and Deontay Wilder’s last two fights against Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang respectively to salvage a 6-6 draw.
Sheeraz was the first team captain of the night in action for the Queensberry clique, and he started brightly against a tough and undefeated challenger, Williams.
But it was the latter who landed the first huge blow of the contest by landing a huge straight left hand, which saw the Brit climb into the clinch in the second.
The American’s counter left looked extremely dangerous against the imposing middleweight, but Sheeraz landed some dull shots of his own in a dominant third.
Williams came out in fourth as the momentum swung back and forth, and the pair continued to trade in an intriguing fifth.
Despite the close encounter, Sheeraz managed to establish spell control with his super leading left jab keeping his rival at bay despite the moments of adversity.
The damage showed on Williams’ right eye as the Briton began to show his skills beyond the halfway mark.
Sheeraz landed a huge right hook at the bell in the eleventh round, which saw Williams collapse to his knees but he recovered despite the knockdown.
He then closed the show when “Ammo” found himself on his feet after a fierce left hook saw the referee step in and stop the fight in the final stanza.
It’s now a world title quest for Sheeraz with Janibek Alimkhanuly, Carlos Adames and Erislandy Lara as potential options.
Sheeraz is a huge operator at middleweight and will know he is capable of big things, and could even consider a future move up to 168 pounds where Canelo Alvarez holds all four belts.
Boxing WhatsApp Channel
Sports