Fight results

Carlos Adames can be very versatile in the ring. He can press his opponent, attacking with short, powerful strikes when he closes the distance and lands with precision. He can also retreat, punishing mistakes, as he did against Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who took on the role of the aggressor. This ability to be flexible and uncomfortable for his opponent is why the Dominican holds a championship title.

The main characteristic of Sheeraz is control. He can do it all in the ring. He can box from range, he can push forward and force his opponent to trade punches, only to respond with even harsher shots. What’s more valuable is that Hamzah controls everything. If any change happens, it’s under his control. If his opponent tries to take control, Hamzah responds with a few solid punches and regains control of the fight.

Adames is 30, five years older than his British opponent. Both are in excellent shape and at a great age to rise to the top and defend their titles if they’ve reached that point, like Carlos.

While Adames is the champion and turned pro two years earlier, it cannot be said that his record is significantly stronger than Sheeraz’s. Carlos certainly has good wins against fighters like Derevyanchenko, Gausha, and Conley. But are these opponents better than Mytrofanov, Liam Williams, and Austin Williams? That’s a big question.

Overall, Hamzah is not a high-volume puncher. He’s ready to catch anyone’s mistakes, he knows how to combine well, but he typically doesn’t overwhelm his opponents with punch numbers. Even when he had to ramp up the activity against Austin Williams, his toughest opponent yet, Sheeraz threw 372 punches with an accuracy of 36%.

Adames, on the other hand, throws punches like a whirlwind. He combines well at a comfortable distance, but his average punch count per fight is around 400-450 punches.

Carlos Adames fought just once in 2021. After that, it was the usual one fight per year. Last year, the Dominican fought against Terrell Gausha, going the full 12 rounds.

Sheeraz had a much more active year last year. He fought three times, totaling 14 rounds: 1 round against Liam Williams, 2 against Tyler Denny, and 11 against Austin Williams.

Both fighters have heavy hands, but Sheeraz looks more convincing. The British fighter’s punches seem like they could end the fight with any clean shot.

Adames hits hard as well, with 75% of his wins coming by stoppage, and you don’t want to get hit by his shots. But in comparison, Sheeraz’s punches are more convincing.

Austin Williams demonstrated that Sheeraz can be hit. The small but quick and explosive American troubled Hamzah several times with clean shots. However, nothing too damaging. Sheeraz withstood, responded, and secured a stoppage victory.

Adames has a similar situation. He can take punches well, but he is not infallible. Patrick Teixeira, the only fighter to defeat Carlos, scored a knockdown in the 7th round.

The arena in Riyadh is a neutral place for both fighters. It’s a kind of boxing Disneyland, meaning no additional advantage will be given to either fighter here. It’s a pure boxing contest.

Carlos will still need to give his all to win against such a tough opponent.

This is Sheeraz’s first major title opportunity. There’s a lot of responsibility on his shoulders—many people have high hopes for him to take the title and secure big wins. In this sense, the pressure might actually be on the British fighter rather than the champion.

Adames has long wanted big fights. He’s called out all the champions and almost arranged a fight with Janibek Alimkhanuly. Now he needs to back up everything he’s said before with action.

Carlos is much smaller than his opponent. However, his style is similar to Austin Williams, who gave Sheeraz many problems in their fight. It will be important to see if Hamzah and his team have learned from that experience. If they haven’t, Adames may surprise everyone.