It kind of came out of nowhere but Hamzah Sheeraz isn’t complaining.

Janibek Alimkhanuly was the one fight Sheeraz wanted more than anything else. He asked, begged for it and perpetually called The Ring, IBF, and WBO champion out. Although unsuccessful, he received the sort of consolation prize leaving him smiling.

On February 22nd in Saudi Arabia, Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) will officially take on Carlos Adames, The Ring’s No. 3 ranked middleweight and current WBC titleholder.

The 25-year-old is working hard. So much so that he believes a win on the night is essentially guaranteed. If everything goes according to plan, Alimkhanuly will be next. Ultimately, Sheeraz’s goals won’t confine him to the middleweight division.

Practically everyone in or around Canelo Alvarez's weight class wants a piece, Sheeraz included. He won’t fool himself into thinking a showdown between them will take place anytime soon though but at some point, he believes it will happen.

“Within the near future, yeah,” admitted Sheeraz during a recent interview with Boxing News when asked about a possible matchup with Alvarez.

Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) has a ton on his plate. He appears to be on the verge of defending his super-middleweight throne against Terence Crawford later this year. He’s also sitting back and weighing his options, but Sheeraz isn’t among his choices.

Being out of the Canelo sweepstakes doesn't hurt Sheeraz's feelings, knowing there's a ton to do. So for now, he’s simply going to put his head down, ignore the noise, and continue to work his tail off until the day that is a more pragmatic option.

“If I do everything correctly, I believe why not? Why not but I’m still a long way from it.”