Brandon Adams and Caoimhin Agyarko shared their thoughts after their pivotal title eliminator didn’t happen on Saturday.
The two were set to face off in a junior middleweight IBF eliminator bout at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, until Adams had to withdraw on the day of the weigh-in when he was hospitalized.
Adams, 26-4 (16 KOs), was coming off a big win over Serhii Bohachuk in September. He had, along with his team, targeted the IBF eliminator bout for hopes of a title shot, while holding the No.2 contender spot in the WBC rankings. It also marked Adams’ first fight with his new promoter, DMG Promotions, which was the lead promoter of the event.
“My heart breaks for my opponent, Agyarko, who I know trained just as hard as I did for this opportunity,” Adams told BoxingScene via text. “I’m confident that we can make this fight happen.”
Agyarko was supposed to fight him on Saturday. Instead, he visited Adams. It ended as a bittersweet moment for the unbeaten 29-year-old from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
“I put my heart and soul into this camp and fight - 14 hard weeks being away from my family, girlfriend, and friends, thousands of pounds spent. Now I don’t get to have my American dream fight,” Agyarko told BoxingScene via text. “I don’t get paid, and I don’t know what happens next, but what I do know is that I will be world champion one day.”
Agyarko, who was coming off a split-decision win over Ishmael Davis in September and a majority-decision win over Ryan Kelly, aimed to prove he was a world-class fighter, and not just a domestic talent. Now Agyarko’s wait will be prolonged.
“My mind is bulletproof,” Agyarko said. “I’ve had setbacks many times, and I will not let this stop me from chasing my dreams.”
