After problems with weight cut two months ago caused Carlos Adames to abruptly pull out of his title defense with Austin "Ammo" Williams Adames was tremendous in the rescheduled defense beginning to end to keep his WBC middleweight title.
Saturday night in Orlando, FL, WBC middleweight champ Carlos Adames finally got in the ring and got his gloves on Austin "Ammo" Williams and from the first round to the last of his dominant win, he made the most of it.
The Dominican Adames scored an opening round knock down and continued to batter the American Williams through the championship rounds on his way to a unanimous 12 round decision. The official scores were 118-109, 117-109, and 117-109 in the headliner of the Matchroom Boxing show streamed worldwide on DAZN.
For Adames, 25-1-1, 18 KOs, the win marked the third successful defense of his title and served as a reminder of his place among the elite at 160 lb. It was also his first appearance in 13 months, following a debated draw against top contender Hamzah Sheeraz, which was a bout many observers felt Adames had done enough to win. Any concerns about ring rust were quickly erased as he looked sharp, composed, and dangerous from the opening bell scoring a quick knockdown of Williams with a straight right hand.
Williams was briefly shaken up, but not seriously hurt. Still, it was a sign of what the fighter nicknamed as "Bronco" was going to do, as he pounded Williams with lefts and rights throughout the fight.
“There have been a lot of words outside of the ring and I wanted to put on a show for all of the fans,” Adames said through a translator in the ring. “I always listen to my trainer and have respect for him but I also wanted to see sparks in the ring. And look at him- he’s happy now.”
“I knew he would start hard for 10 seconds but then he was going to get tired after that and I would take over and win the round,” Adames said. “That’s why I said it was going to be easy work for me and it was. With all due respect, he’s just not on my level. I’m there and he’s down there, with all the respect to him, and that’s what happened."
Their first scheduled meeting in January had fallen apart during Adames' weight cut, He became ill and required hospitalization the night before the weigh in, forcing the fight to be canceled at the last minute. Williams stayed on the card, defeating a replacement opponent while promoter Eddie Hearn promised to reschedule the title clash. Matchroom did that on less than 60 days notice. This time both fighters made weight comfortably, with Adames coming in at 158.6 lb. and Williams at 159.6 lb.
As the fight progressed, the difference in class became increasingly evident. Adames systematically broke Williams down, targeting the body and repeatedly landing sharp right hands that snapped his opponent’s head back. Williams had moments where he came forward with energy, but those bursts were short-lived. After brief flurries, he would fade, allowing Adames to regain control and pile up damage.
Williams, now 20-1, showed heart throughout, continuing to press forward despite the mounting damage. But his efforts were increasingly ineffective. Adames remained composed, picking his shots and controlling the pace, backing Williams up with consistent pressure and superior accuracy.
In the later rounds, the gap widened further. A left uppercut in the eighth clearly hurt Williams, and Adames followed up with a sustained attack to both the head and body. Williams’ corner urged him to stop retreating, but with Adames relentlessly firing, he had little choice but to give ground.
The punishment intensified in the championship rounds. In the 11th, a powerful right hand knocked Williams’ mouthpiece out, followed by a crushing body shot that left him visibly shaken. Even heading into the final round with a comfortable lead, Adames showed no interest in coasting. Despite instructions from his trainer to box and secure the victory, he continued to press for a stoppage.
Williams once again came out aggressively in the 12th, but as had happened throughout the fight, his energy quickly faded. Adames capitalized, unleashing a series of right hands and uppercuts that rocked his opponent and brought the crowd to its feet. A late point deduction for another low blow was inconsequential, as the outcome was never in doubt.
The Compubox stats showed the champ outlanding Williams 176-89, an obvious massive advantage, in power shots.
The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for Williams, whose only other recent defeat had come via late knockout against Hamzah Sheeraz. Even so, he remained determined, expressing his commitment to continue pursuing top-level competition and another shot at a world title.
As for Adames, his message was clear. With another dominant defense in the books, he believes he stands at the top of the middleweight division. Although, making a unification bout with another middleweight champ, could be problematic.
But based on this performance, he definitely is one of the premier fighters in the famed division.