For someone who dreams of the big ‘Canelo’ fight, Saturday night proved a rude awakening. On paper, the fight with WBC champion Carlos Adames was ‘in the bag’ for the British knockout artist Hamzah Sheeraz. The twenty-five-year-old unbeaten Londoner entered the Kingdom Arena with loads of expectations. But ‘The Last Crescendo’ might be something the lanky fighter would love to erase from his memory. Fighting 30-year-old Adames, the overwhelming favorite has now incurred the wrath of the oddsmakers.

The British-Pakistani fighter paid the price for a lackluster performance and settled for a split-decision draw with the Dominican champion. Given their hopes, the fans were clearly peeved. Many felt that Adames was robbed of a victory. Now it would have been fine if matters had closed in there. What made matters more intriguing was the ringside drama that unfolded during the fight. Rising from his seat, HE Turki Alalshikh approached Sheeraz’s corner to have a word. The footage of the interaction has now gone viral, with many questioning the move.

Handle your business!

As he rested during the minute break, Hamzah Sheeraz looked down and saw the Riyadh Season head. Purportedly revealing the details of the scorecard, HE Alalshikh said, “You’re losing two points.” Later he spoke to one of the Sheeraz’s cornermen too. Given that he is the organizer of such a big event, his sudden initiative took everyone by surprise. Many were already unhappy with the scorecards. With one judge tilting in Sheeraz’s favor (115-114) and another in Adames’ (118-110), the third judge’s decision to keep it a neutral 114-114 lit up the cyberspace.

Carlos Adames was among the many who joined the commotion. Taking up his Twitter handle after the fight, he checked for the round when the incident happened. “What round is it? 🤔,” said the WBC middleweight champion.

Like many fans, Alalshikh’s specially brought-in AI scorekeeper ‘Jabbr’ also felt that Adames had done enough to squeeze in a victory. 114.9-113.1 for Adames scored the AI judge. Let’s check out a few other reactions.

It wasn’t meant to be like this

Boxing enthusiast Ray Jackson gave a typical unfiltered view. “Ima give Turki his props. I enjoyed the fights, especially at $25.99, but this right here is a BAD LOOK for boxing. This is why some fighters don’t wanna go to Saudi. We can’t have this,” he said. The question remains: what was the need for HE Alalshikh to share such details?

Another fan opined what has perhaps been said a million times before: “Points should be announced after every round; it will make it better for: Boxers, Fans, Bettors, Everybody!!!!!! Except corrupt judges, of course.” If it can happen in several sports, there shouldn’t be any harm in replicating the format in boxing either.

Take, for instance, this one who said, “I honestly think the judges scorecards should be live, not hidden until the end.” Perhaps sharing the details after the round might set in some transparency. But one user held their doubts. They said, “How is he reading the scorecards when the judges had 3 totally different scores and scoring it with 3 different outcomes? He’s more likely giving his own verdict that he thinks Hamzah was 2 rounds behind.” That’s a high possibility. The Riyadh Season might as well be sharing his overly personal views!

Likewise, another found nothing wrong with HE Alalshikh’s gesture. “I think this is dope; he clearly is a fan and can have his favorites just like anyone else… “Y’all be doing too much, smh,” they said. Like everyone else, the Riyadh Season head also has a right to have personal favorites. People might as well be overreacting or criticizing unnecessarily.

Until complete details emerge, the basis for HE Turki Alalshikh’s discussion with Hamzah Sheeraz and his team remains a mere speculation.

Perhaps what’s more important is where Sheeraz goes from here. An unconvincing outcome but big dreams. Has he peaked too soon for his own comfort? A win over Adames in a rematch might help soothe some ruffled feathers.

What’s your thought on HE Alalshikh approaching the Sheeraz corner?