Carlos Adames outpoints Gerome Warburton in Riyadh on Zuffa Boxing debut

Carlos Adames defeated Gerome Warburton by unanimous decision in Riyadh on Saturday, winning his first appearance for Zuffa Boxing. BBC Sport reported that the WBC middleweight champion prevailed on scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 99-91 after the Welsh challenger took their non-title contest the full ten rounds.

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The Dominican fighter controlled the action, with body punches accounting for much of his success, according to the BBC's report. Warburton concentrated on defence and absorbed powerful shots without being stopped. His more effective attacking moments came towards the finish, and one judge awarded him the eighth and tenth rounds.

After the final bell, Warburton climbed the corner ropes and raised his gloves, celebrating having lasted the distance against the champion. The decision nevertheless went decisively to Adames, whose professional record improved to 26 wins, one defeat and one draw. He remained on 18 knockout victories after completing the bout without adding another stoppage.

The contest headlined Zuffa Boxing 13 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The promoter's event announcement specified a contracted weight of 165 pounds for the ten-round main event. That placed the fight above Adames' middleweight championship division, and his WBC belt was not being contested. This was a non-title assignment rather than another defence of that championship.

Adames' previous championship appearance had brought a unanimous-decision victory over Austin Williams in March. Uncrowned's event coverage reported that he first secured the interim WBC middleweight title by stopping Juan Macias Montiel in the third round in 2022. He became the full champion in 2024 and subsequently made three successful defences, with the Williams victory following his split draw against Hamzah Sheeraz in February 2025.

Warburton reached this fight after consecutive decision victories over Nathan Heaney during 2026, results highlighted in Zuffa's official announcement. Those wins had rebuilt his momentum before the meeting with Adames. Uncrowned reported that he entered Riyadh on a three-fight winning streak after an earlier stoppage defeat to Kieron Conway. Saturday's decision ended that run, although Warburton completed all ten rounds against the reigning world champion.