To a certain degree, Hamzah Sheeraz was looking ahead. A showdown against Janibek Alimkhanuly was front and center on his mind. Once he got rid of him, Sheeraz planned on fully unifying the division against Erislandy Lara. Also, Canelo Alvarez’s presence was felt. But while Sheeraz was busy planning out his future, Carlos Adames was busy destroying his present.

Last Saturday night, Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) walked to the center of the ring and seemingly demanded that Adames hand over his WBC middleweight strap. However, the Dominican native wasn’t going down without a fight.

At times, Adames dominated the action. He pushed his man back, pounded the body, and forced him to fight on the back foot. Normally, Sheeraz takes it to his opponents. His usual eye-catching combinations, nevertheless, were absent. So was his jab.

Once the final bell rang, there was an unsure look etched on his face while Adames pranced around the ring beating his chest. Ultimately, the three judges sitting ringside were unable to separate the two. Now, with a draw officially on his record, Sheeraz is coming to the realization that nothing will come easy in this game.

Hooting, hollering, and protesting won't do him any justice. What will, nonetheless, is a meticulous work ethic.

“I’m an overachiever and I’m very blessed,” said Sheeraz to Sky Sports Boxing. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and fix our errors.”

Working out the kinks in his armor is one thing but according to promoter Frank Warren, Sheeraz needs to get healthy first.

Immediately following the results, Warren revealed that Sheeraz may have broken his hand. It’s unclear the extent of his ailments but Sheeraz doesn’t want that narrative out there. While he wasn’t 100 percent, he believes he could have done more.

“No excuses," continued Sheeraz. "I’ve got a hand injury but that has nothing to do with the fight.”