Bad stop?
That will be up for debate after referee Mark Nelson waved his hand during the ninth-round Carlos Adames-Julian Williams match on Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis, delivering a knockout victory for Adames.
What was clear was that Adames, the WBC’s 160-pound top contender, put on a strong performance against a seasoned and determined competitor, who won.
Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) fought Williams (28-4-1, 16 KOs) from the second round onwards, repeatedly punching William in the body but also delivering sharp punches to the head throughout the match. entertainment.
AMAZING
Ref stopped the fight in round 9 given @BroncoAdames win TKO!#AdamesWilliams pic.twitter.com/5KQj03g5KV
– SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 25, 2023
The fourth inning was particularly one-sided, as Adames unleashed a series of difficult shots that forced Williams to hold out in an attempt to survive.
Not only did Williams get to the bell, but he made it clear early on that he wasn’t going to give up so easily. After recovering, he battled Adames punch to punch in brutal exchanges in the fifth round and beyond.
The former 154-pound owner had one of his better rounds in the eighth round, which seems to put the ninth round’s results in doubt.
Then disaster came for the veteran candidate. Adames wounded him in the middle of the round with his right hand and then hit him around the ring, forcing him back into survival mode as Nelson watched closely.
Williams managed to get back on his feet but he took considerable punishment. And Adames continued to charge, although Williams, with his back to the ropes in the final seconds of the action, appeared to be fighting back.
However, Nelson chose that moment to rush in and stop the match with 15 seconds remaining. He later said he was trying to prevent Williams from being seriously injured.
That explanation did not please Williams and his coach Breadman Edwards, who were later furious after the battle.
“”[The referee] couldn’t say anything to me,” Edwards said. “I told him it was a typical A-side stop. It was a good fight. He’s injured and I’m not saying he’s uninjured, but a fight like this, a man doesn’t fall, they’ll turn around and come back.
“If he is the killer they say he is, let him finish him off. He’s tired too. But it’s always predictable, always party A gets the same s—. [Williams] maybe not even fighting anymore. At least let the fight go.
“[Williams] was defeated once in battle. [Adames] arguably the scariest man in boxing, he never fell. Let him finish him off if he’s going to finish him off.
Williams had a disgusted look on his face shortly after Nelson finished the game but he was more strict than his coach.
“I think it’s a terrible stagnation,” he said, “but what can I do. I’m fine I feel fine. I think it’s a terrible stop. I thought it was pretty even and I took over while he was tired. But what can I do?”
Meanwhile, Adames, who jumped for joy when the game stopped, supported Nelson.
“I think the referee stopped the game because [Williams] Adames continued speaking. “That’s when the referee stopped the game, when I got to those two rights. If I hit him with another one, he’ll probably hurt a lot.”
Williams, 33, believes he deserves another shot by Adames.
“Of course I want a rematch,” he said. “It was not his fault that the referee started early. It looks silly. It looks really bad. It was a great fight. … And the introduction jumped in and stopped it because I was a little buzzing. That’s your right.”
The win brings Adames closer to his first major title fight, which could come next if WBC champion Jermall Charlo vacates the belt before taking on 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez in September. .
However, he chose not to discuss his future in detail.
“I’ll take a little break,” he said, “and see what comes next.”
