Hamzah Sheeraz is blocking out any noise Carlos Adames makes ahead of their WBC middleweight title fight on Saturday.
The challenger Sheeraz has arrived in Riyadh with a 21-0 (17 KOs) record and a big reputation as having one of the sport’s biggest futures.
But, against Adames, he confronts a formidable force who has won 25 of his 25 fights, 18 by knockout.
He is also facing a champion who says is uncertain about whether Sheeraz, 25 years old, deserves the hype.
“It’s water of a duck’s back – it is what it is,” Sheeraz told Sky Sports about Adames’ lack of belief in him. “They can say what they want. The fight’s only a few days away and then I get to punch him in the face.
“It’s the last few days of just making the weight and I can’t get any fitter and I can’t get any stronger now. It’s all been done in the camp and, inshallah, on Saturday night, Britain will have a new world champion.”
Sheeraz had an impressive 2024 in which he defeated Liam Williams, Austin “Ammo” Williams, and Tyler Denny, while the champion defended his title against Terrell Gausha in June in his only outing of 2024.
The challenger, 30, therefore has significant momentum.
“Any version of Hamzah Sheeraz beats Carlos Adames, because of what I’ve done in camp,” Sheeraz added. “The game plan we’ve implemented for this fight is gonna work a treat.”
Then, asked what it might mean to claim the WBC’s green and gold belt, Sheeraz added: “Cementing your name amongst the legends that have won that belt, in the previous years – it’s unreal, but hopefully I wake up Sunday morning and I can soak it in.”
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