Boxing

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz Fight Preview: Start Time, Date, Fight Card, How To Watch

Carlos Adames defends his WBC middleweight title against Hamzah Sheeraz on "The Last Crescendo."

Nathaniel Marrero

Hamzah Sheeraz
Hamzah Sheeraz / IMAGO/PA Images

The middleweight division is set to have one of its biggest fights in recent years.

Carlos Adames will look to upset the apple cart when he puts his WBC middleweight title on the line against the undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz on "The Last Crescendo" on Saturday at the anb Arena (Formerly The Venue) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Adames is entering his second title defense, while Sheeraz will be in his first world title bout.

Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) has won six straight since suffering the lone defeat of his career, a narrow unanimous decision loss to Patrick Teixeira on Nov. 30, 2019. The WBC middleweight champion won by unanimous decision over Terrell Gausha in his first title defense on June 15. Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) has won 15 straight bouts by stoppage or knockout.

Here are the keys to victory for both fighters and how to watch their clash for the WBC middleweight title.

MORE: How to Watch Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz: Date, Start Time, Live Stream, Fight Card

Keys to Victory

The distance the fight takes place at will go a long way toward determining who has the upper hand.

At 6-foot-3 with a 75-inch reach, Sheeraz is ginormous for the middleweight division. He'll boast a four-inch height advantage and two-inch reach advantage over Adames on fight night.

Sheeraz's best weapons coincide well with his height and reach. Sheeraz does damage with his jab and straight right hand and those two punches have paved the way for him to win his last 15 fights inside the distance. He's also shown an ability to fight moving backwards and posses powerful uppercuts as well, which can be really useful against a shorter opponent that looking to find their way inside Sheeraz's range.

MORE: Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz Odds And Prediction

Sheeraz, 25, isn't the only power puncher in this matchup, though.

Adames, 30, is also a strong puncher who can do damage in both stances. He may be the physically stronger fighter of the two, which could make a difference if he can find his way to the inside.

Finding his way to the inside and landing the left hook may be the clearest path to victory for Adames. Going to the body will also help Adames with slowing Sheeraz down late in the fight.

While Sheeraz is the clear betting favorite, you'd be remiss to dismiss Adames' chances on Saturday. Both fighters can change the fight with one punch, and that could potentially lead to this bout stealing the show on "The Last Crescendo."

Weigh-In Highlights

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz fight date

Date: February 22, 2025

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz card start time:

Card start time: 11:45 am EST (8:45 am PST)

DAZN projects Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz will walk to the ring at 2:35 pm EST.

How to watch: Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz

TV/Stream: DAZN PPV and PPV.com

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz will be available on DAZN PPV and PPV.com.

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz location

Location: anb Arena (Formerly The Venue), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Vergil Ortiz vs. Israil Madrimov will take place at the anb Arena (Formery The Venue) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Note: The venue for this event was changed on February 21st from Kingdom Arena to anb Arena (Formerly The Venue).

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Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith: WBO light heavyweight interim title fight

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero