It was another bad day in the office for boxing in what would could have potentially been one of the most entertaining fights of the year. The main event between WBC interim Super Middleweight champion Carlos Adames and contender Julian Williams was ruined when the match was stopped in the 9th round after the referee deemed Williams was accruing too much damage. The event was held at The Armory in Minneapolis on Saturday, June 24th.
The Super Middleweight bout between Dominican champion Carlos Adames (23-1, 18 KO’s) and American contender Julian Williams (28-4-1, 16 KO’s) was a heated contest for both fighters, but one that Adames seemed to edge by a couple rounds. Williams, a fighter who has competed in world title bouts before, certainly proved to be a dangerous opponent; especially with his right hand.
Adames, a highly recognized amateur, seemed to be able to maintain control due to his ring IQ and well-developed boxing skills, but Williams’ high-paced effort seemed to be able to tilt the scales from time to time. Carlos Adames seemed to have found a steady rhythm by the 3rd round and was landing more punches. Julian Williams was landing less but did seem to stun Adames several times with his strong right. However, he was not able to capitalize on any of the opportunities due to Adames’ witty clinches, footwork or head movement.
In the 9th round, Carlos Adames seemed to take charge and had Williams pushed to the corner where he was landing a couple of punches that went through Julian Williams’ guard. Just when Williams seemed intent on countering, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight which resulted in Carlos Adames winning by a stoppage victory.
The decision resulted in a protesting Julian Williams and trainer, the latter of whom noticeably threw up an slur-filled tirade on television. It was a questionable action by a referee, even with Williams having already been stopped/knocked out twice before, given Williams was attempting to fight back as the referee stepped in to interrupt the fight.
Unfortunately, the bout is added on to a list of countless other fights that have ended controversially due to the early (and to many unwarranted) stoppage that ensued.
The event, promoted and organized by the PBC, further showcased both the current and former IBF Super Flyweight campions, Argentinian Fernando Martinez (16-0, 9 KO’s) and Filipino Jerwin Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KO’s) respectively, making an appearance on the same card following their championship bout on October 8th in 2022.
Martinez, who had retained his IBF title against Ancajas in their previous match, defended his title for the second time of his career and came out the winner by TKO. He faced the previously unbeaten Filipino contender Jade Bornea (18-1, 12 KO’s).
Jerwin Ancajas also was successful in his own match and similarly stopped his opponent, Colombian Wilner Soto (22-13,12 KO’s), in the 5th round of their match.
Super Welterweight contender Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KO’s) also had a successful comeback to the ring following his April 2022 stoppage defeat to Sebastian Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KO’s), and knocked his opponent Luis Arias (20-4-1, 9 KO’s) out in the 5th round. It was an impressive win for the American who was facing an opponent that had previously impressed in 2021 following a UD victory over former unified world champion Jarrett Hurd (24-3, 16 KO’s).
