Hamzah Sheeraz may not have captured his first world title, but he should consider himself fortunate to leave Saudi Arabia with his undefeated record still intact.
Sheeraz and Carlos Adames fought to a controversial split draw on Saturday’s Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 undercard at the Anb Arena in Riyadh, ending their battle for Adames’ WBC middleweight title in anticlimactic fashion. Sheeraz, an ascendent British star, appeared to be both outworked and outboxed by Adames over the course of 12 close rounds, however the judges ultimately turned in scores of 118-110 Adames, 115-114 Sheeraz and a 114-114 draw, resulting in Adames retaining his belt.
While neither fighter was ever in significant danger, Adames (25-1, 18 KOs) consistently kept Sheeraz (21-1, 17 KOs) on his back foot and seemingly took control with a volume attack in the second half of the bout. Adames out-landed Sheeraz by a margin of 94-48 in overall power punches, according to Compubox data, and 123-101 in total punches over the final eight rounds.
Despite his status as the challenger, Sheeraz, 25, entered as a near 3-to-1 betting favorite on BetMGM lines, buoyed by a groundswell of hype from his sensational 3-0 campaign in 2024. He looked the part early as well, using his 6-foot-3 frame to fight tall, jab Adames from distance and keep the action at his preferred range in the opening rounds. The champion, however, was undeterred.
Adames, 30, came on strong as the rounds wore on, bulldogging his way inside while launching a variety of combinations to the head and body, forcing Sheeraz to retreat into a more defensive approach.
Adames at times utilized brilliant defensive head movement to make his foe whiff wildly on bigger shots when Sheeraz did open up, all the while continuing to apply punching pressure and stay on the front foot.
By the championship rounds, Sheeraz’s corner was pleading for their fighter to push for a finish, and while Sheeraz began to find more success — including a nasty counter left hand in the 11th round — he retained very little urgency to follow up on his power punches, instead throwing mostly single shots.
Fortunately for the Queensberry Promotions fighter, the judges declined to agree, ensuring Sheeraz remains in the immediate title picture as Adames returns home with the WBC belt.
Check out full results, highlights and Uncrowned’s round-by-round coverage for Saturday’s stacked Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 fight card here.
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