Carlos Adames made his super middleweight debut on Saturday night in Riyadh, stepping up from his WBC middleweight throne to face Gerome Warburton in a 10-round non-title bout at The Venue. The Dominican, who holds a 25-1-1 record with 18 knockouts, fought under the Zuffa Boxing banner for the first time in this contest.
Adames claimed the WBC interim middleweight title in 2022 by knocking out Juan Macias Montiel in the third round. He was elevated to full champion in 2024 and has successfully defended the belt three times since then. Earlier this year, he fought Hamzah Sheeraz to a controversial split draw but returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision over Austin "Ammo" Williams in March.
His opponent, Gerome Warburton, arrived in Riyadh with a record of 18 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, including 4 knockouts. Warburton has been on a three-fight winning streak after a stoppage loss to Kieron Conway in a British and Commonwealth middleweight title clash. In 2026, he earned two decision victories against Nathan Heaney, the latter of which prompted Heaney’s retirement. Saturday’s fight marked a significant step up for Warburton as he tested himself on the world stage.
The event was part of the Zuffa Boxing 13 card, which began with prelims at 8 a.m. ET on Paramount+. The main card started at noon ET, with the headliners making their ring walks around 2 p.m. ET.
Other fights on the main card included bantamweight Jason Moloney taking on Andres Teran and a super middleweight bout between Bruno Surace and Kamil Bednarek. The prelims featured heavyweight Jakhongir Zokirov versus Brandon Colantonio, middleweight Radzhab Butaev facing Alexander Castro, lightweight Ivan Ortiz against Dariial Kuchmenov, and light heavyweight Tullo Boymatov versus Moro Kanla.
Adames’ move to super middleweight offers a fresh challenge after establishing himself in the middleweight division. The fight with Warburton drew attention for pitting a reigning world champion against a rising contender making his first appearance beyond the British circuit.
The full results and highlights from Zuffa Boxing 13 were available through Uncrowned’s live updates, which covered every round and key moment.
According to Yahoo Sports.
