Subscribe
Follow Us
WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames (24-1) defends his title on Feb. 22 against undefeated challenger Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0). It is time to continue our boxing odds series with a Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz prediction and pick.
Adames, 30, has been a world champion since finishing Julian Williams in June 2023. He has since defended the title once, beating Terrell Gausha by unanimous decision in July 2024. Adames enters the fight on a six-fight win streak, including four by knockout.
Sheeraz, 25, enters his first world title fight as one of the top streaking contenders in boxing. With 17 knockouts in 21 fights, Sheeraz is riding a 15-fight knockout streak into the matchup, including four of his last five within two rounds. The Englishman is coming off a second-round demolishing TKO of Tyler Denny in September 2024.
Here are the Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Boxing Odds: Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz Odds
Carlos Adames: +215
Hamzah Sheeraz: -290
Over 9.5 Rounds: -130
Under 9.5 Rounds: +102
How to Watch Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
Time: 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT
Fight ring walk time (estimated): 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
TV/Stream: DAZN pay-per-view
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access / Save $30)*
Why Carlos Adames Will Win
If Adames can survive an early onslaught, there is nothing suggesting Sheeraz can compete with him late in the fight. Sheeraz has ended seven of his last 10 fights within five rounds and has not gone the distance since 2018. He has only reached the 10th round twice in his career but managed to finish both fights late.
One of those fights was his recent win over Austin ‘Ammo' Williams on the ‘Queensberry vs. Matchroom' card, which put him on the map. The late knockout was impressive, but before the finish, Sheeraz clearly began to fade, landing just 14 total punches in the two rounds before the stoppage. He benefitted from Williams simply being unable to break down his size and touch him. Adames has the style to potentially combat Sheeraz's imposing size.
Adames is not the most technical champion in any aspect but has cardio for days and a relentless pace. Both would serve him well in this matchup, assuming he survives the early Sheeraz storm. Backed by his granite chin, Adames has never been knocked out and has only been knocked down once in his career.
Why Hamzah Sheeraz Will Win
Somehow able to cut down to 160 pounds, Sheeraz is a monster at middleweight. He will be four inches taller than Adames in the ring with a two-inch reach advantage. With his size comes devastating power, as evidenced by his 15-fight knockout streak.
On paper, Adames should be the better fighter in the championship rounds with the superior cardio. His issue will be making it there without absorbing too much damage. Too often, Adames allows opponents to dictate the pace. That issue directly led to his lackluster bout with Gausha, in which the fighters landed just 107 punches apiece. Adames is never afraid to get into a brawl but believes in his semi-unreliable power and chin more than he should. Against Sheeraz, the most powerful opponent of his career, that could be a fatal approach.
Sheeraz is not the most technically defensive fighter, but at his size, he does not need to be. It takes most of his opponents a near-Herculean effort to even break into his range. Adames, like all of Sheeraz's previous opponents, will have to try and punch upwards to reach the challenger's chin. Most tall fighters leave the most openings in their body, but Sheeraz does a clean job of keeping his elbows tucked and rolling with shots.
Final Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz Prediction & Pick
Adames left a sore taste in fans' mouths with his performance against Gausha, but he is not just a man in the way of Sheeraz's title run. Despite a lack of functional defense, he has never been knocked out in his career and poses the toughest chin of any Sheeraz opponent. Sheeraz has been finishing everybody early in his current stretch, but Adames figures to be a tougher puzzle to solve.
However, with little defense behind his lackluster approach, Adames is nearly a perfect matchup for Sheeraz to claim middleweight gold. Whether Adames can survive the distance or not is the question, but both numbers are wide enough to take a shot on each. Yet, with Adames' poor tendency to leave his chin and body unprotected, there is a good chance he will suffer the first knockout loss of his career.
Regardless of what happens, Sheeraz will find his success early. Adames is typically a slow starter, and his bad habit of fighting to the pace of his opponent will be fatal against a sniper like Sheeraz. The challenger will have to deal with the champion's toughness early, but even with as solid of a chin as Adames has, he can only withstand punishment from a fighter with as much power as Sheeraz has for so long. This fight could end up looking a lot like Sheeraz's recent win over Ammo Williams.
Final Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz Prediction & Pick: Hamzah Sheeraz by KO/TKO (+105)
