BoxRec

Carlos Adames vs Gerome Warburton reportedly headlines November 14th Zuffa Boxing

Carlos Adames will ignore his various challengers in favor of a tune-up in Riyadh next month

Per Dan Rafael, WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames’ Zuffa debut will be a non-title bout against Gerome Warburton, which headlines a November 14th in Riyadh.

Less than a month ago, the WBC ordered “Bronco” (25-1-1, 18 KO) to finally take on Meiirim Nursultanov, who’s been waiting on his shot for nearly three years. Despite proudly touting it as Nursultanov’s ”golden opportunity,” they nigh-immediately turned around and gave Adames approval to do a catchweight bout above 160. This is despite Adames spending a year on the sidelines after drawing with Hamzah Sheeraz and not competing at all since March.

So, instead of fighting Nursultanov, he fights the unranked Warburton (18-2-2, 2 KO). “Bread Maker” is coming off back-to-back decisions over Nathan Heaney, but got smashed in four by Kieron Conway two fights prior and has a CV littered with <.500 fighters. Not exactly the sort of matchup to make you risk Houthi bombardment to watch.

Adames happy to fulfill mandatories, but wants unifications

After multiple lengthy spells shelved without injury, WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames is bracing himself for a busy period of activity.

After signing with Zuffa Boxing, the 32-year-old Dominican is slated to make his promotional debut on November 14. While unconfirmed, Dan Rafael reported Monday night Adames will face Gerome Warburton (18-2-2, 2 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Adames has been ordered to face two mandatories with Meiirim Nursultanov given first priority. The sanctioning body's decision comes after interim titleholder Jesus Ramos withdrew from their September 19 bout after suffering food poisoning early Friday on fight week.

Adames-Warburton would be contested at a catchweight and as such, be deemed a non-title bout given the relatively short notice.

During an October 15 interview with Broadway Joel on his YouTube channel, the long-reigning champion believes he can squeeze in a unification bout provided he emerges injury-free.

"After this fight, I would comply with [WBC president] Mauricio Sulaiman's requirements and fulfill the mandatory. I plan to fulfill the mandatory fight with one, but not both one after the other. I would then see if he gives me permission and I can do a unification with Aaron McKenna, Denzel Bentley, any champion in my division. Then I would fulfill the second mandatory with Ramos."

Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs) spoke with enthusiasm about signing his new deal, much like Bentley did, and is aware how beneficial staying busy is at this stage of his career.

"It feels good because it's been a while, I'm getting rusty, taking care of myself between fights because I was only fighting once a year. It [the inactivity] didn't depend on Luis DeCubas or PBC, rivals weren't accepting the fights but I feel happy, energized with this new company, like I left the national team yesterday, taking a different path for my career. I'm going to give it my all."

IBF titleholder McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs) joined the Zuffa ranks in June and The Ring's No. 3-rated contender has spoken previously with fondness of their sparring sessions.

Bentley's situation as WBO beltholder is more unclear as he readies for his promotional debut against Shane Mosley Jr. on the Chris Billam-Smith-Cheavon Clarke card on November 7.

The sanctioning body ordered Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. With several in-house bouts available, Adames isn't averse to training over the holidays to return in the first quarter of 2027.

Well, I have to admit this catchweight fight is ... underwhelming.

If Adames defeats Warburton - as expected - he must then defend the WBC MW title against Nursultanov, and if he wins that fight, he must defend it against Ramos Jr. As of this moment, neither of those fighters are affiliated with Zuffa, so who knows how that will play out or how long it will take.

While Zuffa has a decent stable of MWs, Adames is not the busiest fighter out there. The Warburton bout will be his second of 2026, but prior to that he fought just once in 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022, although he did fight three times in 2021.

Adames, Warburton to headline Zuffa Boxing 13 in Riyadh

Carlos Adames will clash with Gerome Warburton in his Zuffa Boxing debut on November 14.

The 165-pound catchweight bout will take place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and stream live on Paramount+ in the U.S./Canada and air on Sky Sports in the UK/Ireland.

Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs), the WBC middleweight champion, hasn't fought since defending his title against Austin "Ammo" Williams in March. Warburton (18-2-2, 2 KOs) is coming off a decision win over Nathan Heaney in September.

Jason “Mayhem” Moloney (29-4, 20 KOs) returns and also makes his Zuffa debut against Mexico’s Andres Teran (19-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round bantamweight co-main event.

Bruno Surace (26-1-2, 5 KOs) is back and will take on Poland’s unbeaten Kamil Bednarek (17-0, 10 KOs), nearly two years on from his stunning Upset of the Year win over Jaime Munguia.

And two of Zuffa's emerging talents in Uzbek pair Jakhongir Zokirov and Tullo Boymatov make their returns to the ring.

WBC champ Carlos Adames to face Gerome Warburton in non-title bout Nov. 14

WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames will face Gerome Warburton in a non-title matchup on Nov. 14 in Saudi Arabia.

The 10-round, 165-pound catchweight bout will headline Zuffa Boxing 13 at The Venue in Riyadh. Zuffa officials announced the pairing Friday.

Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs) is widely considered the No. 1 middleweight in the world. Fighting out of the Dominican Republic, he has held the WBC's undisputed middleweight title since 2024, and has retained the belt in three consecutive title defenses against Terrell Gausha, Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin Williams.

Warburton (18-2-2, 2 KOs), of the U.K., is on a three-fight winning streak, including back-to-back wins over Nathan Heaney in March and September.