It wouldn’t be a boxing event without at least one major controversy regarding judges’ scorecards.
For ‘The Last Crescendo’, that was the WBC middleweight title fight between British standout Hamzah Sheeraz and heavy-handed Dominican Carlos Adames – a bout that’s dominated all the wrong headlines since Saturday.
When the final horn sounded, almost everyone in the arena and watching from home had the fight going clearly in favor of Adames, with the announcement of a split draw sending shockwaves through the boxing community.
Former world champion rages over Hamzah Sheeraz’s gifted draw
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Carlos Adames has been called a robbery by countless fans and former fighters, with many taking aim at the judges for what they deem to be ‘indefensible’ totals.
Cue former three-time world champion Duke McKenzie, who gave an impassioned rant about the shock draw earlier today to Seconds Out.
“I don’t know where those judges were from and I don’t know what they were watching, I was banging my head – like listen, we want Sheeraz to win as he’s from over here and he’s obviously a nice kid, but nice kids don’t win fights. I don’t know what those judges were watching.
“Sheeraz can’t do anything about it, but he must be down on his hands and knees thanking whatever God he’s got; he must be thanking him to the high heavens because that was not a draw.”
McKenzie, like the vast majority of fans watching from around the world, had the fight going clearly in favor of Adames – and even argued that a draw drags boxing back into the dark ages.
“Do you know what? It’s fights like that which, in my opinion, give boxing a bad name.
“Boxing has only just started to drag itself out of the gutter because now we’re getting quality fights. But now, they drag it back into the gutter, in my opinion, when you see decisions like that.”
McKenzie hinted that the commission “were looking to nick that title off” Adames, although he did also have a critical piece of advice for the now 21-0-1 British challenger.
Duke McKenzie advises Hamzah Sheeraz to move divisions after draw
Whilst Duke McKenzie remains adamant that Hamzah Sheeraz has the skills to become a world champion, he didn’t like how the British phenom looked at middleweight.
“In his defense, he’s got no business fighting at middleweight. He looked drained to me, totally drained and I know because I’ve been drained in world title fights before, and I know how lackluster you can be. My point of reference is that I know that feeling.
“There was no spark [and] there was no urgency from the first bell to the last bell. It’s not just about making weight on that day for that fight, it’s dragging to make weight in all the fights he’s had in the run-up.”
Sheeraz competed three times in 2024, with his draw in Riyadh meaning that he’s made weight on at least four separate occasions over the past 12 months.
“He looked like he overtrained to me because he had to make weight, he looked drained in the face to me – normally, when you rehydrate you look big and ready to go, he didn’t have that demeanor about him.
“His lackluster performance for me, was surely down to the fact that he was weight drained… His tank looked empty from the first bell and tired as early as the third round.”