Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz Ends in Controversial Decision on February 22

Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz – On February 22, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a loaded Riyadh Season event took place. On this impressive card, we saw Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) vs Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) for the WBC middleweight crown. Despite having bright moments in the early part of the fight, it didn’t feel like enough from Sheeraz, but the judges couldn’t ultimately split the two after 12 rounds, with it being declared a split draw. The entire card was available to watch via multiple PPV outlets, including DAZN, TNT Sports Box Office, Sky Sports Box Office, and PPV.com.

Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz Ends in Close Draw

Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz Fight Recap

The opening round saw both fighters look to take the centre of the ring, but it was a mostly cagey start, with Adames looking to get underneath the long jab of Sheeraz.

The second round saw Adames land a fast reverse 1-2 before the Brit began to grow into the round and found his range. Sheeraz began to put his shots together well as the round progressed.

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Over the next two rounds, the British fighter continued to grow into the fight, looking light on his feet while picking his shots impressively. Adames looked dangerous and continued to walk forward, but the jab and follow-up work from Sheeraz were doing enough.

Round six saw Adames up his work rate, get inside, and land some nice shots, which slowed Sheeraz down.

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The eighth round saw a big right hand from the WBC champ, which slowed Sheeraz down. Adames looked more confident as the fight progressed and moved his head well, getting inside the long reach of the Brit. The work rate of Adames was the difference. He was getting inside well and putting his shots together.

Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz: Championship Rounds and the Decision

As the championship rounds approached, we had Sheeraz needing a KO to win the fight. The eleventh round saw improvement from the Brit as he finally started to let his hands go. The upper body movement of the champion caused Sheeraz problems throughout. Despite the British fighter upping the ante in the last two rounds, the Dominican still landed the better shots and outworked the Brit. As the fighters gathered in the middle of the ring, the scorecards were read: 115-114 for Sheeraz, 118-110 for Adames and 114-114, declaring this bout a split draw. The work rate and cleaner shots came from Adames. He deserved the win, and it’s difficult to justify a draw.