Carlos Adames Altagracia vs. Mohammed Hamzah Sheeraz

February twenty-second in Riyadh. WBC middleweight title at stake, in Adames' first defense since promotion from interim status after defeating Terrell Gausha for the vacant belt in March.

Sheeraz is the #1 contender in the WBC ratings and thus Adames' mandatory. Curiously, in the Ring Magazine rankings Adames is #3 - behind Sheeraz at #1 and Janibek Alimkhanuly at #1 (their ultimate crown is currently vacant).

Unsurprisingly, no common opponents despite both having swam in the same waters in parallel (Adames began his career at welter but was campaigning at 154lbs when Sheeraz debuted there) as to date they've plied their respective trades entirely on either side of the Atlantic. In addition to being five years the champ's junior and the undefeated A-side "house" man (Turki Al-Sheikh named Sheeraz global ambassador of his Riyadh Season program), the Pakistani-Brit has four inches of height and two inches of reach over the Dominican-American.

 

Not seen much Sheeraz - heard he's got a good jab? And record reflects decent power.

 

Reminds me of the Billy Dib-acle.

 

I've somehow managed to never catch Sheeraz in the almost six years since his blitz of Rod Douglas Jnr on the Daniel Dubois vs. Răzvan Cojanu & Anthony Yarde vs. Travis Reeves undercard. Literally a minute and change of him in action, I've seen.

So not really in a position to comment on his current form or chances on the world scene overall, but - on paper, is going life & death with a shot thirty-something Gausha really worse than going life & death with a shot thirty-something Skeete?

 

Mahyar Monshipour?

edit: n/m, Persian.