Carlos Adames, the WBC middleweight champion, took a trip up to super middleweight for Zuffa Boxing 13 Saturday, and yeah, he picked up the win. It was a clear decision victory over Gerome Warburton, no question about the outcome. But honestly, the “win” part for Adames felt like it was only half the story, because Warburton seemed like he was just… not there.
A Super Middleweight Debut That Felt Super Slow
You’d think a champion making his debut in a new weight class, especially under a new promotional banner like Zuffa Boxing, would come out with absolute fire. If the idea was for Adames to instantly show Warburton he was out of his depth, well, Adames wasn’t exactly rushing to make that point early. The opening rounds? Anything but exciting. It felt like more staring and posturing than actual punching from both guys. Adames, the champ, seemed hesitant to truly bring the fight to Warburton. It wasn’t until around the third round, then even more so by the fifth, that Adames started turning up the heat.
“Continue Boxing” But Not Really Throwing Hands?
Warburton’s corner kept telling him to “continue boxing,” but what we saw was a whole lot of circling around the ring’s perimeter. He rarely showed any real offensive resistance. Adames, even in those slower rounds, looked in control just by being willing to engage. Adames clearly had a game plan, focusing on Warburton’s body. Remember Kieron Conway? He stopped Warburton with a relentless body attack, and Adames was doing his homework. A big hook to the body from Adames in the seventh round seemed to actually freeze Warburton, the effect of all that consistent body work piling up. Warburton had tiny glimpses of success when he actually felt confident enough to throw punches, but those moments were few and far between. He was moving and reacting, not sitting down and letting his hands go. It got pretty wild when he was straight up asking his corner between rounds if he’d even won a single round. By the ninth, Warburton was actively disengaging from the fight in the final moments of the round, then chatting it up with Adames after the bell. This was supposed to be the biggest opportunity of his career, a world title not on the line sure, but still a huge stage, and that’s how he played it? Weird.
A Win for Adames, a “Moral Victory” Nobody Will Remember
Warburton did manage to survive all 10 rounds, which I guess you could call some kind of moral victory for going the distance with “the best middleweight in the game.” He even celebrated on the ropes, dancing after the final bell. But let’s be real, he likely lost every single round. The final scorecards confirmed it: 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92, all for Carlos Adames. As Adames himself put it, “I think he was just in the ring to survive, he wasn’t really here.” And that about sums it up. Adames got the promotional debut win he needed in his new weight class, but it definitely wasn’t the kind of statement bout that’ll have the boxing world buzzing about his super middleweight future, not because of *him*, but because of what he was up against.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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