- The WBC has ordered middleweight champion Carlos Adames to face mandatory challenger Meiirim Nursultanov, with a purse bid scheduled for October 20 if the camps cannot agree terms
- Nursultanov was due to fight Jesus Ramos Jr for the interim title last Saturday before Ramos was hospitalised and pulled out
- Ramos keeps his claim on the winner, so the WBC has now set out a clear three-man sequence at 160lbs
Nursultanov Skips The Queue
Right then. A week ago Meiirim Nursultanov was getting ready to fight Jesus Ramos Jr for an interim belt in San Diego. Then Ramos was taken to hospital on the Thursday of fight week, the fight fell over, and Nursultanov was left sat in a hotel room with his weight made and nobody to hit. This week the WBC have made it up to him. Properly.
The sanctioning body has ordered Carlos Adames to defend the full WBC middleweight title against Nursultanov next. If the two sides cannot do a deal, the purse bid is set for October 20. And the winner of Adames vs Nursultanov then has to fight Ramos, who keeps his interim status and his place in the line.
Make no mistake, that is the right call. Nursultanov did everything asked of him. He turned up, he trained, he was ready. Ramos had a genuine reason to pull out and nobody is blaming him for being ill, but the man who was fit to fight should not be the one who pays for it. So instead of risking a loss to Ramos for a piece of tin, Nursultanov goes straight to the champion.
Carlos Adames Is Boxing's Loneliest Champion
Let's not beat around the bush. Carlos Adames has spent the last year and a bit being the middleweight nobody wants to share a ring with. He is awkward, he hits hard, he has a proper chin and he does not sell tickets on his own name. That is the worst combination in boxing if you want big fights, because it means all the risk and none of the reward for whoever is in the other corner.
The night that should have changed that was Riyadh. Adames went in with Hamzah Sheeraz, gave him a proper going over in plenty of rounds, and came away with a draw. Plenty of us had Adames winning. Instead of a rematch, Sheeraz moved up to super middleweight, and Adames was left holding a belt and an empty diary.
Since then he has been calling out anyone with a pulse and getting nowhere. Now the WBC has taken the choice away from him. It is not the payday he wanted. It is the fight he has.
Why Nursultanov Is A Nightmare Draw
Carlos Adames vs Meiirim Nursultanov is not a fight that gets the casuals out of bed. It is a fight that gets hardcore fans very excited indeed. The Kazakh comes from that deep amateur system that produces fighters who never stop, never panic and never give you a cheap round. He will be in Adames' chest for twelve rounds and he will make every minute of it miserable.
The Style Clash
Adames is at his best when he gets to set traps. He loves to sit on the ropes, let you throw, and come back with that short right hand over the top. Against a volume fighter who is clever enough not to over-commit, that approach gets harder. Nursultanov will not load up and walk onto it. He will jab, feint, work the body, and bank rounds while Adames waits for the big moment that might never arrive.
That is the danger for the champion. If he fights the way he fought Sheeraz — patient, heavy, picking his moments — he wins. If he gets frustrated and starts trying to force it, he gives away the middle rounds and then needs a knockout late.
The Business Side
October 20 matters. If this goes to a purse bid, whoever wins it controls the date, the venue and the broadcaster, and neither fighter gets much of a say. Given Adames' commercial problem, I would not be at all surprised if the bid comes in low, which is another kick in the teeth for a man who should be earning big money by now.
But an order is not a fight. We have all seen champions find a way around a mandatory. The WBC has built its sequence — Adames, then Nursultanov, then Ramos. Now it has to actually enforce it.
The Verdict
If it happens, and I think it does because Adames has nowhere else to go, I am taking Carlos Adames on a close unanimous decision. 115-113, maybe 116-112. He is the bigger puncher, the more experienced fighter at this level, and the Sheeraz fight showed he can handle twelve rounds of pressure without folding.
But I will say this: Nursultanov will win more rounds than people expect, and if Adames has one lazy spell in the middle of the fight, the belt goes to Kazakhstan. If you know, you know — this is the kind of middleweight fight that ends up on the highlight reels of people who actually watch boxing.