Nathan Heaney speculation in the rearview mirror, Carlos Adames prepares to make the first defence of his newly-elevated WBC middleweight championship this weekend against former light-middleweight title challenger Terrell Gausha on a stacked Las Vegas bill, but insisted fans want to see him in a unification bout against WBO and IBF titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly before long.
Adames aiming for Janibek, but Gausha first
CARLOS Adames will end a year-long layoff this weekend, on a busy undercard headlined by two marquee fights featuring long-standing WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and former two-time WBC world super-middleweight titlist David Benavidez getting his feet wet against stern opposition at light-heavyweight.
A week shy of a year since his ninth-round TKO win over Julian Williams saw him retain the WBC interim world title at 160lbs, the 30-year-old Dominican will box for the sanctioning body’s full honours at 160lbs after being upgraded to full champion following Jermall Charlo’s unexpected inactivity and personal issues outside the ring.
Factors out of his control mean a voluntary title defence against unbeaten British titleholder Nathan Heaney, either abroad on enemy territory or at a neutral venue Stateside, fell through but instead he gets a bigger platform for his return and could be criticised for overlooking longtime contender Terrell Gausha before this Saturday.
In the same way that recent Riyadh cards have attracted attention aplenty worldwide, there’s also a lot of pomp and ceremony regarding the June 15 card itself, being the 100th fight card MGM Grand Arena will host. About his pride at representing the Dominican Republic and looking ahead, Adames said (h/t: BoxingScene):
“I’m the people’s champion, they know they have a responsible, eager and very capable champion in their hands – my goal is to represent them in the best way. I want to wave that flag with pride, them to know I’m going to fight as hard as I possibly can for them.
They want to see me fight Janibek, but let’s see what the future holds. I’m open to any and everything, it’s an honour to be part of the 100 championship fights in the history of the Grand Garden Arena and it’s going to be a spectacle.”
Queensberry chief Frank Warren would’ve been able to manoeuvre Heaney into a world title shot as promised, though the promotion has now pivoted to a Brad Pauls rematch after months of speculation about the 35-year-old’s future.
The pair boxed to a split draw in the headliner of Queensberry’s latest Magnificent Seven card on March 16 and many critics were surprised by the underdog’s display against a hittable Heaney – elusive to dethrone Denzel Bentley four months earlier.
Heaney remains determined to box on home soil at his beloved Stoke City football stadium and speculation was rife that he’d fulfil that ambition this summer. Linked with a potential IBO world title shot and June 8 bout against WBC titlist Adames, those possibilities have cooled for now while he takes care of British business.
Janibek’s manager, Egis Klimas, told me in April their summer return plans for the hard-hitting Kazakh – around July time – and there were numerous contenders in contention with Top Rank’s matchmakers patiently waiting to pick the right one.
Middleweight schedule
WBA champion Erislandy Lara bt. Michael Zerafa on March 30, highly-rated 16-0 youngster Elijah Garcia is currently ranked #1 with sanctioning body
June 15: WBC champion Carlos Adames vs. Terrell Gausha
July 13: WBO, IBF titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs)
Theoretically, Janibek-Adames would be straightforward to make by year’s end, provided the latter comes through a maiden defence of his full world title. The pair exchanged words on social media and seemingly want a unification, which in a ever-changing landscape impacted by Turki Alalshikh’s recent work, may be enough.
Prime Video’s June 15 card, is as follows
12 rounds
Gervonta Davis (c) vs. Frank Martin for WBA world lightweight title
David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvodzyk for WBC interim world light-heavyweight title
Carlos Adames (c) vs. Terrell Gausha for WBC world middleweight belt
Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Alberto Puello for WBC interim world light-welterweight strap
10 rounds
Super-featherweight: Mark Magsayo vs. Eduardo Ramirez
Welterweight: Roiman Villa vs. Ricardo Salas Rodriguez
Middleweight: Elijah Garcia vs. Kyrone Davis
8 rounds
Super-middleweight: Daniel Blancas vs. Aro Schwartz
6 rounds
Super-featherweight: Justin Viloria vs. Angel Antonio Contreras
Featherweight: Kevin Ayala vs. Jimmy Delgadillo
Light-welter: Stacey Selby vs. Kevin Walker
4×2-minute rounds
Women’s super-featherweight: Mia Ellis vs. Margaret Whitmore
Women’s featherweight: Reina Tellez vs. Beata Dudek
Super-bantamweight prospect Brayan Gonzalez and lightweight hopeful Hugo Amador Mendez both making their pro debuts
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
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