IT was not long ago that Hamzah Sheeraz found himself cruising through a deeply immersive flow state, so confident in his ability that nothing seemed to faze him.
With that psychological edge, it was more a question of when, rather than if, he would dispatch his next opponent, keeping an almost palpable shield of invincibility stretched tightly around his slender frame.
But then, all it took was one tepid performance, made worse by a hellacious battle with the scales, for that layer of protection to come crashing down.
From there, a fighter is left – quite brutally, at times – to collect their thoughts, all the while considering each voice that echoes in the distance.
It is only then that they begin to identify the words that carry true meaning, inspiring them to weed out the undesirables – or, rather, the hangers-on – as they look to construct a team which, no matter the financial rewards at stake, will never sugarcoat the harsh reality of their situation.
That process, though a well-trodden path in boxing, initially represented a thorny patch of shrubbery for Sheeraz.
Yet, despite that, the 26-year-old chose not to shy away from the task but instead approach it with a pair of shears, sharp enough to cut ties with anyone lacking his best interests at heart.
“The first month [after his draw with WBC world middleweight champion Carlos Adames] was a bit hard, because it’s territory I hadn’t been in before,” Sheeraz tells Boxing News.
“You go from winning 21 fights, with everyone singing your praises, and then, at the flick of a switch, you’re on the other end of the spectrum.
“People will talk about it, but it’s not until you’re in that position that you realise how you react to [setbacks].
“Now, I look at it as a massive lesson. I’ve righted the wrongs – I’ve got a much smaller team – and the people around me are those who’ve been with me since I was 16 or 17 years old.
“That makes a massive difference, because it gives you a sense of security. You’ve got real people around you, so if you make a mistake, it’ll get corrected. And equally, if you think that you’re doing the right thing, then you’re definitely doing the right thing.”
Often, the difficulty is not knowing the extent of a setback before it arrives, almost like when a fighter gets chinned by an uppercut they never saw coming.
But for Sheeraz, there was an element of expectation, and indeed an acknowledgement of human psychology, that significantly reduced the shot’s impact.
In other words, even though he didn’t lose to Adames, the lacklustre nature of his performance in February made it a certainty, in his mind, that he would not exactly be eligible for the sympathy vote.
“When you’ve been knocking out all these fighters who are meant to take you the distance, you build up a certain level of expectation, and I think that everyone just expected me to blast through [Adames],” Sheeraz highlights.
“So, when things don’t go your way, everyone will automatically jump on the bandwagon and just try to criticise you.
“But that’s boxing – it’s full of opinions – and that’s what makes it a great sport. I respect everyone’s opinion, good or bad.”
Like most boxers that encounter a stumbling block, regardless of how threatening it may seem, Sheeraz felt compelled to introduce a set of changes to his career.
More specifically, a partnership with trainer and former world middleweight champion Andy Lee materialised soon after the Adames outing, with the intriguing linkup taking him away from his previous base in Los Angeles.
And while the Ilford man, equally, remains a fair distance away from his home comforts, the dulcet tones that now travel through his ears appear to carry a far deeper level of wisdom.
“I’ve been [away from home] for camps since I was 16 [years old], so in terms of relocating [to Dublin], it’s not been an issue,” he insisted.
“Training’s been good – different, definitely different – but in a way, that’s only going to be beneficial to me.
“[Lee’s] helping me do everything that I should’ve been doing originally – to a certain standard, and a certain level.
“It’s not been easy, because when you’ve had one style of fighting for the past however many years, to kind of break out of it, and change a few things, is pretty difficult.
“I’ve been challenged mentally, and physically as well, so it’s just like being back at school again.
“[Lee is] a very sure man, and very confident in what he does. He always stands by what he does and, to top it all off, he’s been there and done it himself.
“He’s won the titles, he’s had the big fights and he’s been out to America, so I think that’s also where the sense of security comes from.
“The fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing is what removes any doubts for me. And when you have no doubts, it’s because you’ve left no stone unturned.”
It is unsurprising, really, that Sheeraz has likened his environment to that of a classroom, almost as if Lee – the kind of teacher that commands respect, rather than allows his pupils to run wild – has created a perfect picture of discipline and structure.
But, of course, Sheeraz’s next assignment, against Edgar Berlanga, a ferociously spiteful super-middleweight contender, is what has ultimately inspired a level of such diligent preparation.
The pair will square off on Saturday at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York, with both fighters looking to take themselves one step closer towards another stab at world honours.
For Sheeraz, though, it represents not just an opportunity to propel himself back into title contention, but a chance to put the measure of his character firmly on display.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that, no matter what situation I find myself in, I’ll always put my balls on the line – and that’s why I took this fight [against Berlanga],” he says.
“A lot of fighters wouldn’t be confident enough to take a fight of this magnitude so soon [after a setback]. You’re going from one extreme to the other, literally in the space of just a few months.
“But with me, I’m ready and willing to put it all on the line. Really and truly, this is me rolling the dice. I’ve changed coach, moved up in weight, and am fighting one of the best 168-pounders in his backyard.
“So, I think it’s a fair statement to say that we’re rolling the dice, but at the same time, I’m very confident.
“Once you get the opportunity, I don’t see why you wouldn’t choose to go and shine on the big stage.
“If you truly believe in yourself, and you know what you want to achieve, then you need to grab every opportunity with both hands.”
In many ways, it is a new man, not least regarding an added layer of confidence, that will be entering the ring come fight night.
But, most of all, an extra 8lbs could contribute to a drastically different version of Sheeraz, far removed from the spindly figure that boiled himself down to 160lbs or, worse still, 154lbs.
Like any fighter, the rangy technician remains hesitant to reveal the full extent of his weight cut, not wishing to display even a shred of weakness.
At the same time, though, the gauntness of his face on a Friday afternoon only ever left so much to the imagination.
“I was just doing things that you really don’t want to be doing before a world title fight,” he admits, reflecting on his preparation prior to the Adames fight.
“But there’s no excuses – that’s what I chose to do. Now, I feel like I’ve made the correct decision to move up to 168lbs, whereas before I was in a situation where I couldn’t move up, because I had a world title opportunity. I was always going to do whatever it took to make that weight.”
A fighter who is willing to do whatever it takes, often at the expense of their own physical health, is a very dangerous one indeed.
That said, we should soon discover whether Sheeraz, on perhaps the most pressurised night of his career, can keep a cool head in a hot kitchen.
Only then will the truth begin to unfold, just as the typically laid-back customer steps under the bright lights.
