Carlos Adames defeats Gerome Warburton by unanimous decision in Riyadh

Carlos Adames beat Gerome Warburton by unanimous decision in a non-title super middleweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 14 November 2026. It was Adames' first fight since March and marked his Zuffa Boxing debut.

Adames entered the ring as the WBC middleweight champion while Warburton held the WBC continental title. The Welsh southpaw from Colwyn Bay carried a professional record of 18-2-3 into the contest. The match was scheduled as a non-title bout at super middleweight.

All three judges scored the fight for Adames, returning cards of 100-90, 98-92 and 99-91 in his favour. After the final round Warburton climbed the ropes in his corner to celebrate having gone the distance and raised his gloves, but the referee ultimately raised Adames' hand.

Adames set the tone from the opening bell and remained the more aggressive fighter throughout, while Warburton adopted a defensive approach. Warburton absorbed a number of heavy blows and managed to withstand several strong shots from Adames during the contest.

Much of Adames' success came with body shots, and he did not threaten to record a 19th career knockout. Adames now holds a professional record of 26-1-1, and Warburton produced occasional flashes of danger despite his largely defensive game plan.

The Colwyn Bay fighter's most effective periods arrived in the later rounds, with the eighth and 10th rounds awarded to him on one judge's card. Those rounds represented Warburton's clearest success in the bout.

Because the contest was a non-title super middleweight bout and Adames is the reigning WBC middleweight champion, his WBC middleweight title was not at stake in Riyadh.