LONDON, England — Shane McGuigan is plotting a move to super-middleweight for new charge Malik Zinad - and wants to make a showdown with Hamzah Sheeraz.

Zinad first worked under McGuigan back in 2018 but recently linked up with the east London-based trainer once again as he plots a path back to the top.

The 31-year-old (23-1, 17 KOs) suffered the first defeat of his career in June last year when he was stopped by Dmitry Bivol inside six rounds at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh. He had been in touch with McGuigan about training him for that last-minute opportunity but the coach decided they would not have enough time to get things right.

But, after Zinad returned to the ring in February with a fourth-round TKO of Haris Dzindo in Malta, they have reunited once more.

The Libyan is back at home in Malta as he awaits the arrival of his second child but McGuigan has revealed big plans for the fighter once he returns to the fold.

And for the career light-heavyweight, that looks like a move down to 168 pounds.

“He’s such a nice lad and we have always had a good relationship,” McGuigan told The Ring.

“He rang me before the Bivol fight but it was just not enough time. I told him I wasn’t in it to make a quick buck, I’ve always had a lot of time for Malik and I would like things to be done correctly.

“Now we are advising him and looking after him I’d like to get him some good opportunities — and get him to the weight category that gives him the advantage. I think he’s really a super middleweight naturally. He’s tall but he’s slight and he’s got the power to knock a lot of super-middleweights out. So that’s my plan.”

McGuigan also suggested that Zinad, who faced Bivol on a Riyadh Season card, would be the perfect opponent for Sheeraz, himself a Riyadh Season ambassador.

The Ilford puncher illuminated when he stopped Edgar Berlanga in five brutal rounds on The Ring III card in July. That victory should open the door to a fight with Canelo Alvarez but, with the Mexican busy with Terence Crawford, Sheeraz may look to fight in the interim.

Now McGuigan thinks he has the perfect solution.

“There are great opportunities for Malik down at super middleweight,” he added. “I think the Hamzah Sheeraz one is the best.

“Hamzah has just come off a huge win on a big Ring card so him against Malik Zinad would be a huge fight for Riyadh Season.

“And he could genuinely do the weight no problem. He did no cut for the Bivol fight at all. He had breakfast and weighed in and then maybe put on a pound before the fight. He could definitely do super middleweight to fight Hamzah Sheeraz and I think he would surprise a lot of people.”