11/26/2024
WBC Middleweight Champion Carlos “Caballo Bronco” Adames has agreed to terms for a title defense against top-ranked WBC contender “Hollywood” Hamzah Sheeraz. The middleweight title bout is expected to take place on February 22 as part of a Riyadh Season event in Saudi Arabia.
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) has been on an impressive run since claiming the WBC interim middleweight title in October 2022 with a stunning knockout victory over Juan Macias Montiel. Adames was later elevated to full champion status after the WBC stripped Jermall Charlo of the title following legal issues. Riding a six-fight winning streak, Adames most recently defended his crown successfully against Terrell Gausha in June 2024.
Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) has quickly climbed up the middleweight ranks since moving up to the weight class in 2022. Sheeraz’s most recent victory came in September, when he captured the EBU Middleweight Championship in devastating fashion, stopping Tyler Denny in the second round on a card headlined by heavyweight stablemate Daniel Dubois. Following that win, Sheeraz publicly called out unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, expressing his intent to challenge the Kazakh champion for his WBO and IBF belts. Alimkhanuly reportedly had been previously offered $1M to fight Sheeraz on that September 21 card. Alimkhanuly denies any such offer ever existed.
Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
The bout ends Sheeraz’s pursuit of unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, at least for now.
The WBO had initially ordered a Sheeraz-Alimkhanuly showdown on October 8, following Alimkhanuly’s defense of his IBF title against New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich. Both camps were given 15 days to reach a deal before the bout would be subject to a purse bid. A source told Brunch Boxing at the time that Sheeraz’s team requested an extension of the deadline, to which Alimkhanuly’s team agreed. The WBO subsequently announced a new deadline of November 4 to reach an agreement. That deadline also passed without a deal. The WBO officially announced that Sheeraz pulled out of the mandated bout.
Adames, who had also pursued a bout with Alimkhanuly, had been reportedly tabbed to defend his title against Meiirim Nursultanov on a December PBC event. Those plans were scrapped after a postponement of the date. Now he takes on the young phenom Sheeraz.
An official announcement is expected shortly.
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