HAMZAH SHEERAZ will almost drag his family out an £800,000 debt on Saturday night that they willingly risked to fund his boxing career.
The 25-year-old Ilford middleweight captained the Frank Warren promotional team that battered Eddie Hearn’s flops 10-0 in June.
And his ruthless double-bubble stoppage of American Ammo Williams earned him an ambassadorial role with Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh, who is bankrolling these Riyadh Season spectaculars all around the world.
Casual fans will assume a few televised shows and a sparring session with Justin Bieber will have made Sheeraz a multimillionaire already.
But, unlike the young Premier League players they see on the same TNT and Sky channels, the slog is far harder and more expensive than those of the Prem pups who get a gilded existence before hitting the big time.
And Saturday’s Wembley stadium battle with classy Midlands southpaw Tyler Denny will just about cover the crippling debt his courier dad took on to set his son on his way to greatness,
He told SunSport: “I have never given this figure out to anyone before but – I am 25 now and from the age of 18, when I first turned pro – the debt we got into was about £800,000, in the red.
“Nobody would believe me, but we are still clearing some of that debt now.
“Every penny of it was invested into me and I didn’t understand it at the time, but my dad just told me I had to take a punt on myself, he told me I had to do it.
“He put every penny he had ever saved into me and luckily we are close to clearing it now.
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“It’s what dreams are made of, it shows that total commitment and sacrifice do pay off.
“99 per cent of fighters doing this professionally are just trying to make a living and most of them have a second job to help them do it.
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ANTHONY JOSHUA punched his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
From humble origins in Watford to Olympic hero, the boxer has made a heavyweight impact in and out of the ring.
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The pair’s bitter feud saw them refuse to say a word to each other as they met Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua has already hinted at when he will hang up his gloves.
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His career and sponsorship deals have seen him swap his council estate upbringing for a luxury car collection.
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“I sat next to Josh Padley at the launch press conference and he told me he was driving his work van full of rubbish to the tip when he got the call.
“It goes to show that, away from all the glitz and the glamour, the purses and opportunities fighters are getting now are life changing.”
Sheeraz is a caring and respectful family man, just like his opponent who helped him in his last camp by being a willing sparring partner.
And he admits that having to flick a switch and turn friend into foe – especially when he knows how vicious his two heavy hands are – is difficult.
“It’s hard but when I get in the ring I have to become cold.” he said without trying to boast.
“The moment I am in there I become cold-blooded and just want to get them out of there.
“My mentality is that I have taken this massive punt on myself and nothing is getting in my way.
“Outside the ring I have nothing bad to say about Tyler, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him, so I am sure he’s trained his nuts off, like I have.
“He is coming with nothing to lose and that makes him dangerous. But that means I have to be dangerous too.”
After Denny, Sheeraz wants another fellow Brit he is far less fond of.
“Chris Eubank Jr is delusional.” he said.
“He was offered all the money he wanted to fight me, then he said I wasn’t a big enough name.
“But now I know he is fighting a lesser name for less money.
“Without his family name he wouldn’t be where he is. My quest is to be a world champion.
“He talks about being a world champion but he has turned down multiple chances. So I don’t understand what his mindset or plan is, but I would love to fight him one day soon.”
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