Carlos Adames believes he is the best middleweight in the world, but he says he is open to moving up to super middleweight or dropping down to junior middleweight for the right fight.
Adames dominated Austin “Ammo” Williams on Saturday night, winning a 12-round unanimous decision at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. It was his third successful title defense.
After the win, Adames, 25-1-1 (18 KOs), spoke about his intentions for the future.
“I feel I am the best at 160lbs right now,” Adames said via translator. “There are a lot of people who think I can’t do 160. I can actually do 154lbs … but at 168lbs I can face anyone as well.
Adames, a Dominican fighter who trains in Las Vegas, is unbeaten as a middleweight; his lone loss came to Patrick Teixeira in 2019 in an interim junior middleweight title fight. Adames, 32, has been plagued by inactivity, fighting once a year since 2022. Even in facing the 29-year-old Williams, Adames had to wait after the original January bout date was postponed because he was hospitalized on the day of the weigh-in.
With as many as three weight classes in which Adames could campaign, he at least should have plenty of big-fight options.
“I am somebody who makes good on my promise and is good to their word, in and out of the ring,” Adames said. “I believe I am the best fighter at 160lbs.”
The middleweight division has hit rough times. WBA middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara trains with Adames’ coach, Ismael Salas. Janibek Alimkhanuly was the unified middleweight titleholder, but he failed a drug test before a unification fight with Lara. The IBF title has now been vacated, and the WBO title will have an interim titleholder, with Alimkhanuly still holding the outright title. So Adames may actually need to give a hard look at multiple weight classes in order to open up an interesting fight in the near future.
Adames knocked Williams down in the second round and proceeded to put calculated pressure on his opponent.
“I just knew I am a really accurate puncher, I knew I just couldn’t miss with that shot,” he said. “I knew I had that weapon on the table, and I used it at will.”
Adames also shared his thoughts on the victory over Williams, 20-2 (13 KOs).
“With all due respect, he is just not on my level,” Adames said. “That is why I said it would be easy work for me – and it was.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
