As Hamzah Sheeraz continues to rise as one of Britain’s top super-middleweight prospects, trainer Shane McGuigan believes his own fighter, Malik Zinad, has what it takes to bring the 26-year-old back down to earth.
McGuigan first spotted Zinad, a 23-1 puncher with 17 KOs, in 2017 after former world champion Donny Lalonde urged him to check out the little-known Libyan prospect. Even back then, McGuigan recognized Zinad’s raw talent and potential to build a glittering career at 168lbs.
Zinad’s career took a high-profile turn last year when he accepted a short-notice fight against light-heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol. Despite a heroic effort, the 31-year-old suffered a sixth-round stoppage loss. At the time, McGuigan declined to train him for that bout, citing the short preparation window and the challenge of facing one of the world’s best.
“Donny Lalonde, who boxed [Sugar] Ray Leonard, called my dad and said, ‘We’ve got this kid who can really punch. Raw as anything, but he could be a handful,’” McGuigan told Boxing News.
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“We brought him over for a Cyclone Promotions show in 2017. I was waiting in the tunnel for Chantelle Cameron’s debut when Zinad knocked out his opponent so badly he had to be taken straight to hospital. Later, he went to the US for a bit, realized it wasn’t all that, and eventually asked me to train him before the Bivol fight. I told him, ‘I’m not stepping in for three weeks. You’re boxing the best light-heavyweight in the world.’”
Now, Zinad is back in McGuigan’s corner and preparing for an eight-rounder at York Hall, London, on November 30—a fight that will showcase how far he has come.
Beyond that, McGuigan is particularly keen to see Zinad face Sheeraz, who is 22-0-1 with 18 KOs and coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Edgar Berlanga.
“There are some massive opportunities for him at super-middleweight,” McGuigan said. “Hamzah Sheeraz has been flattered—Berlanga’s a bit chinny, and Tyler Denny’s not very good—so I would love that matchup. He’s going to be a proper handful, and I think he’ll win a world title.”
Zinad, for his part, is determined to prove himself on the world stage.
“I’m here in training camp, away from my family again,” he said. “I have two daughters in Malta and don’t see them enough, but that’s a sacrifice you make when you have a goal. My wife and kids will move to the UK next year, which will make things much easier.
“I became the first professional fighter from Libya. There was no one to guide me—I promoted myself, learned everything the hard way, and now I’m aiming for a world title next year. Remember my name.”
