Even with his undefeated record still intact, Hamzah Sheeraz felt like anything but a perfect fighter after his last outing.<\/p>\n
A red-hot middleweight contender who had stopped his last 15 opponents entering 2025, the hard-hitting Englishman went into isolation after his disappointing draw with WBC titlist Carlos Adames. Most observers felt Sheeraz, 21-0-1 (17 KOs), was fortunate to have not endured his first career defeat in their February 22 title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Still, the night was enough of a wake-up call to prompt the\u00a0 25-year-old fighter to make sweeping changes as he enters the prime of his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I don\u2019t learn from this, I\u2019m screwed,\u201d Sheeraz told DAZN while on hand for the Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn event in North London. \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that. I believe in myself and identified what went wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I didn\u2019t, it would be an issue. I\u2019m in a good head space. I\u2019ve only got, like, four people around me now. [The draw with Adames] matured me a lot. It\u2019s made me realize the harsh realities of boxing and life itself. The main thing is just to learn from it and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the newly isolated group is Andy Lee, the former WBO middleweight titlist who is now Sheeraz\u2019s head trainer. Sheeraz confirmed the move earlier in the month in his first comments since the Adames letdown, a fight that was designed to be a breakout night for Sheeraz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he escaped with a split decision draw on a night that would be his last with longtime trainer Ricky Funez.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019m in a boxing environment since that fight,\u201d Sheeraz admitted. \u201cI was in a dark place for a little bit, but I got out of it. I\u2019m better. I felt like I needed [the personnel change]. Nobody\u2019s to blame but me as the fighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter sitting down with my team after the last fight, we identified the necessary changes I had to make. Changes meant getting rid of 80 percent of the people around me. We chose Andy Lee as a trainer. I\u2019m looking forward to what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what\u2019s next, Sheeraz would only confirm that he\u2019s now fighting at super middleweight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was about three fights ago,\u201d Sheeraz joked. \u201cI was in a position where I was on the way to fight for a world title at 160. I was able to cover up the fact how hard the weight was by getting the early knockouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put my hands up, it was my own decision to stay at 160. Now I\u2019m at 168.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was coy when pressed to confirm rumors of a summertime collision with fellow former title challenger Edgar Berlanga, 23-1 (18 KOs).<\/p>\n
The two are rumored to be headlining a July 12 show in New York City, which would mark Sheeraz\u2019s US debut. He had trained in Southern California under Funez but has fought almost exclusively in England, save for two bouts in Riyadh and one in Poland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the rumors are true, what a great fight. I\u2019m in the era of boxing where the best fight the best,\u201d noted Sheeraz. \u201cVery few fighters do as they say. I said after my last fight, put me in a big fight at 168 and see what I will do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n