The fight ended suddenly in the second round after Sheeraz put together one of the cleanest combinations of the night.

A left uppercut snapped Begic’s head back before Sheeraz followed with a left hook to the body that sent the Bosnian challenger down to the canvas. Begic was unable to recover before the referee completed the count, ending the fight in dramatic fashion.

The knockout gave Sheeraz his first world title and continued the rapid rise that has placed him among the leading names at 168 pounds.

The performance also added another stoppage victory to Sheeraz’s growing record and reinforced the finishing ability that has made him one of the more closely watched contenders in the division. His size, patience, and body punching repeatedly created problems for Begic before the ending finally arrived.

“It was simple. I saw he was very negative from as soon as I landed the first punch, and then it was about just walking him down to get him out of there, and that’s what we done,” said Sheeraz after the fight.

“Listen, I’ll fight anyone. There was boxing royalty ringside tonight, and I’m trying to follow in their footsteps. I’m just beating whoever’s put in front of me.

“I’m going to collect all the belts, and inshallah, this time next year, you could see Hamzah Sheeraz as a unified champion at the 168 division.

“If I get the opportunity [to fight Canelo], I’ll definitely be getting the win for sure.”

For Begic, the defeat was the first loss of his professional career.

Despite entering the fight with 23 knockouts of his own, he struggled to handle Sheeraz’s precision once the exchanges became more dangerous in the second round. By the time the finishing combination landed, Sheeraz had already established complete control of the contest.