RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA -- In the Mandarin Hotel's lounge area, a fan spots Hamzah Sheeraz and asks for a picture. He's not the only one. Soon enough one turns to three and before long, the 25-year-old's engaging in conversation as he gears up for his maiden world title shot against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames, some 11 miles from here, on February 22.

I'm nervously typing away and transcribing other interview quotes to distract myself waiting for the culmination of a piece more than two years in the making.

Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) has featured on some notable Queensberry undercards, including Joe Joyce's upset win over Daniel Dubois and Anthony Yarde avenging defeat by Lyndon Arthur, but really came to the fore after a destructive second-round TKO win on the John Ryder vs. Zach Parker bill over River Wilson-Bent, who was then 13-1-1.

Backstage later that night, Wilson-Bent said he'd sparred a who's who of British boxers from 160 to 175-pounds and promised no-one had hit him as hard as Sheeraz did.

Less than two full years later, the Ilford resident added four defences of the WBC Silver middleweight title against varied tests in three countries, capped by another second-round stoppage win over British opposition in now-former EBU European champion Tyler Denny as the co-feature to Dubois' stunning fifth-round knockout win at Anthony Joshua's expense.

It feels symbolic, given how they've often featured on the same card, both are boxing for world titles on the same stacked bill in Riyadh next weekend. One as defending champion, the other a bullish challenger seeking another career-best breakthrough moment.

Some regard his 11th-round stoppage win over then-unbeaten contender Ammo Williams last June 1 as the acid test needed to see whether he can swim with sharks at the highest levels. The man himself? Well, it could've been far better.

"Everyone thinks it was a good performance, I promise you it was 30% of what I can do," he tells The Ring.

"I had a massive financial burden put upon me so had to relocate camp to Preston, the sparring wasn't as good as it normally is and we didn't have the normal training instruments, so I adjusted. Didn't want to say anything beforehand so it could be used as an excuse. People watched and were talking about 'yeah, he's ready' but that was 30 percent. I went back to my LA camp afterwards and look what I did to Denny. I would've got Ammo out of there within four rounds, it doesn't matter now but yeah, it's put me in position to fight for this world title."

I read him some quotes from an interview just concluded with Teddy Atlas asking the esteemed boxing trainer-and-analyst his thoughts before Sheeraz's championship challenge. Simply put, what makes him special? Atlas didn't waste words.

"His family, character. They all talk about the size, height, length but the way he carries himself as a person, a man with dignity, there's an inner strength to that and sooner or later it's going to be tapped, brought to the forefront. Yeah, I know the talent, his jab and all, but whatever is inside you needs to come out if you're gonna have success at a high level. What's inside? His potential is obvious and he's still so young, it's gonna be a tough fight [against Adames] and it should be.

"I like the way he uses his size, you need to know how to box with those physical strengths, Hamzah understands his identity, you've got to have a consistency about who you are and it's a box checked here, knowing he's got these great physical attributes, learning to use them and their importance. He's gonna have to be efficient, effective and productive on the outside."

How does Hamzah feel, hearing those words from someone he grew up watching?

"It's mad because when I used to watch stuff on YouTube, he'd be in the ring breaking down punches, certain moves ... honesty, never did I think I'd be sat here listening to him complimenting me. It's a pinch myself moment, a sense of s--- is getting real now, getting these legendary guys complimenting you, very surreal but it's not added pressure because they know what they're talking about, seeing things in me I don't myself. It's about unlocking potential they see in me, I know it's there, this is the fight now against a big puncher in Carlos, very experienced, this is my coming out party."

Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) will make his fifth appearance at world championship level next weekend, having begun his pro career at welterweight in 2015. A lone 12-round defeat by Patrick Teixeira for WBO interim junior-middleweight gold four years later prompted the longest layoff of his career to date, 16 months, after which he eventually moved up another division.

Having pitched four victories over former champions and longtime contenders since making the 160-pound division his home, the 30-year-old will fancy his chances of proving too much against a rising star still building up that invaluable seasoning against world-level opposition.

Standing 5ft 11in tall and with a 73" reach, the Dominican - like many before him - will concede ground as far as their physical advantages are concerned, though has explosive power and an aggressive style to deter Sheeraz from engaging up close.

"I have to be wary of everything, he's world champion for a reason. He's experienced, can bang and got all the advantages coming in. You want the grain to be against you, so when you've won, you know it was earned not gifted. I've got to go about my business like never before, setting new levels and records, a whole new mindset. I'm looking forward to it."

Sheeraz, who started life in the paid ranks at 154-pounds, hasn't had things all his own way before this critical juncture. The Slough-born standout caught the boxing bug after being inspired by uncle Imran, a talented amateur, taking him to a local gym.

Quickly showing the skills to be an exciting talent, he was a three-time finalist at the UK national junior championships but became disillusioned with the sport after being overlooked for Team England's Commonwealth Games squad as an ambitious teenager.

That didn't last. An electrical apprenticeship helped occupy his brain and earn some money, though it was quickly apparent what he missed most. Before long, he turned pro and the steady matchmaking under Frank Warren began but smooth sailing? Far from it.

Bradley Skeete was, by all accounts, old-manning him and looked good value to evaporate the then 22-year-old's 13-0 unbeaten record for WBO European honours through seven rounds in December 2021.

A controversial eighth, where Sheeraz hit the 29-3 challenger with follow-up punches after dropping him to a knee, saw him deducted a point. Many felt he should've been disqualified altogether, given how badly affected Skeete ultimately was as a result. A rematch was offered but declined, Skeete turning to coaching with Sheeraz set to move up in weight.

Seven-and-a-half months later on his second middleweight outing, carelessness up close saw him knocked down for the first time by Argentina's Francisco Emanuel Torres in a back-and-forth contest that would've taught him plenty, much like the experience two fights prior.

Both ended with stoppage victories, though served as a timely reminder that one cannot afford to take many risks nor be too willing to absorb punishment in a discipline where one perfectly-placed shot can instantly shift a fight's momentum. Comfort is dangerous.

An untimely hand injury requiring surgery saw the gloss from his destructive display against Wilson-Bent disappear, before wasting no time in Wroclaw nine months later to outclass 13-0-1 pro Dmytro Mytrofanov, dropping him three times in less than four minutes in a second-round victory. Warren declared him Britain's answer to the sport's first-ever five-weight world champion Tommy Hearns post-fight.

Alex Krassyuk, widely known for being two-weight undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk's promoter, also steered Mytrofanov's career. When I asked about the performance against his man, having watched Sheeraz ringside produce a sharp showcase on a muggy night in Poland, he heaped praise on a rising contender bound to continue moving through the weights.

"Hamzah is, absolutely, the next world champion at middleweight. I can't say revolutionary because it'll sound too expressive but he'll be up there for a very long time."

Hamzah's not looking to stick around the 160-pound limit long though, leading many critics to believe he's potentially overlooking Adames. How long does he have left at this weight and what does the ideal roadmap look like?

"Two or three fights. Three at a push. It'd be Adames, Janibek or Chris Eubank Jr because financially the Eubank fight is leaps and bounds more than I'd get for Janibek. Profile-wise, Eubank makes more sense but yeah I'm not fussed, unify and then move up."

Since this conversation, Eubank Jr has agreed a two-fight deal to box Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) this calendar year starting April 26, while unified world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) will defend his titles against France's Anauel Ngamissengue (14-0, 9 KOs) three weeks earlier on April 5.

Ngamissengue and Sheeraz were both on the Usyk-Dubois bill in Poland, the former eked a majority decision nod against Poland's Fiodor Czerkaszyn but has only boxed once since and largely against unheralded opposition across his five-year pro career.

WBO/IBF titleholder Janibek has been vocal about wanting to fight other divisional champions, though the hard-hitting Kazakh's resume isn't exactly a glowing one either. Denzel Bentley (21-3-1, 17 KOs) gave the 31-year-old southpaw his sternest test on short-notice in November 2022 and the now-European champion insisted he's next in-line for a second world title shot later this year.

As Sheeraz rose, Bentley was once the hunted. They've embarked on different paths and now, the trajectory for both looks much different. After watching him outbox Brad Pauls to reclaim British gold in their December 7 headliner, Hamzah couldn't be clearer.

"He did what he had to do but in all honesty, should've got rid of him in four rounds and many would agree. No disrespect to Brad - great fighter and an ex-British champion - but he's not world-level and you should dismantle people like that, not go the distance.

It could've just been a bad day for Denzel, I don't know, but if you're gonna be calling my name out, you've got to come up with the goods! He was trying to use me calling Eubank Jr a p---y against me but if he's hearing this, come to me with £6m and I'll accept the fight, it's as simple as that."

The conversation briefly shifts to a more sober tone. Liam Williams, who told everyone willing to listen at the time he'd expose Sheeraz's weaknesses under the bright lights, didn't get a chance to get going.

The proud Welshman, 32, officially announced his retirement eight months after a destructive first-round defeat by Sheeraz in their February 2024 headliner at the Copper Box Arena, east London.

A former two-weight British champion and world title challenger, he cited multiple concussions and fears over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition linked to repeated head blows and concussion, as the reason to forgo lucrative offers and instead preserve his brain after it was clear punch resistance had deserted him. How long does Sheeraz want to keep going?

"He's a great guy, first of all. I don't want to be boxing after 32, I'll be honest. That's another seven years, already a pro that long... 14 years is a long career but if everything goes well and I'm a big name, that's when you're in your prime no? Between 30 and 34, so unless His Excellency is still here, I want to be in-and-out."

IBF junior-middleweight world champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) plans on returning sometime in April or May after Ramadan. The timing of this opportunity couldn't be any better, heading into the holy month for Muslim athletes like Sheeraz.

"It was important [to box now] otherwise I'd have been too inactive. I've been very active this past year, if I'm not, I put on too much weight and it's a mental battle. You end up spending money if you haven't invested, get caught up in a lifestyle that you can't keep up for the next 2-3 years because you'll end up broke.

Being active keeps me occupied. I don't party or any of that but like the finer things in life, watches and jewellery, so when I get bored, I'll buy things. This stops me from doing that. If I continue to train, I can control the growth whereas if I just relax, I'll get bigger and bigger, end up at cruiserweight before you know it!"

He's closer to cruiserweight than light-heavyweight outside camp, hardly a revelation, though super-middleweight will be calling him before long. Edgar Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) recently named him as one of six boxers he'd like to face, while Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn hinted that a matchup against Diego Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) - an Adames sparring partner - could be made in future.

ESPN's Mike Coppinger detailed that, as part of former undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez's four-fight Riyadh Season deal, Sheeraz figures to be an option for fight three in twelve months' time. Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and Riyadh Season head, already sowed seeds by introducing them at last month's Ring Awards dinner.

As far as his support system is concerned, Sheeraz hasn't forgotten those who've helped him reach this stage. The attention and requests might've increased tenfold, though he looks more at ease now and when you sit with members of the 25-year-old's team, it's easy to see why. Their close-knit bond.

His father, ex-pro cricketer Kamran, champions him but remains gracious enough to invite other well-respected and experienced voices into the space.

Taz Khan, uncle of former unified world junior-welterweight champion Amir, emerged to form part of the team in 2020 with subtle-but-savvy changes to his recovery quickly implemented. His manager Adil Ditta is the facilitator while head coach Ricky Funez has him relishing camp life out in Los Angeles, California and their seven-year connection - five as coach and pupil - continues to blossom.

"I've always looked at Ricky like my coach, never as my mate. It's the most efficient way to work together, he's great at what he does, all he ever needed was an opportunity and that's what he has in me. I needed someone to believe in me and vice versa, we merged and God willing, I become his first-ever homegrown world champion."