HAMZAH Sheeraz will challenge WBC champion Carlos Adames on February 22 in Saudi Arabia, according to ESPN boxing reporter Salvador Rodriguez. Sheeraz had been in line to fight WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, but the winner here can move on to unify with the Kazakh in an even bigger spectacle later in the year.

The 160-pound division, traditionally one of boxing’s most storied, has been undergoing a little bit of a transformation period, as fighters move up and around it after the Canelo and Golovkin era. In the absence of star names, getting the champions and best contenders together to sort things out is the best way to reignite some interest.

Some suggest that after sampling the swift hands of Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams, Sheeraz, 21-0 (17 KOs), opted for a safer route around southpaw Janibek to grab a world title. This suggestion fails to take into account the physical strength, athletic ability and unpredictability of Adames, 24-1 (18 KOs). In fact, both Sheeraz and Adames have heavy hands and can be found in the trenches, so it is likely to catch fire. 

That said, Adames stepped off for periods in his last fight against Terrell Gausha, who was allowed to move around the ring unchallenged. Adames won’t have to go looking too long for Sheeraz. The Berkshire man’s physical dimensions, all arriving behind a laser jab, mean that Hamzah’s future will develop past middleweight, so it’s best to enhance his legacy with the biggest fights now that his apprenticeship has ended.