On one side there is Christian Mbilli. It would be a hard fight. No air. No breaks. The kind of opponent that drags you into a miserable night and makes each round feel longer than it should. You beat him, people nod. You lose, you’re in trouble. There is no upside except to prove toughness. Mbilli is like an ultra version of Carlos Adames.
On the other hand, there is Diego Pacheco. Great name. Big promoter (Eddie Hearn). Great platform. A fight that comes with noise, money and attention. A fight that fits neatly into the Riyadh Season machine that has revolved around Sheeraz for weeks now. This is not accidental.
The WBO order gives Sheeraz and Frank Warren a clean excuse to take the Pacheco fight. They have twenty days to negotiate before a purse bid. Sheeraz cannot do both. He has to choose which headache he wants.
Mbilli is the tougher battle. Everyone knows that. Pacheco is the smarter fight. Everyone knows that too.
This is not ducking. It’s career management. Fighters don’t get credit for choosing pain when there’s a belt, a payday and a world stage right in front of them.
Nothing has been signed yet. No dates. No contracts. But the direction is clear. The money points one way to Pacheco. The sanctioning body points the same way. And when that happens in boxing, the rest usually falls into line.
Sheeraz just needs to decide how much he cares about doing things the hard way.
