By Mark Eisner: WBC interim middleweight champion Carlos Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) stopped former IBF/WBC 154-lb champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams (28-4-1, 16 KOs) in the ninth round on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Adames used his body punching to wear down the 33-year-old Williams and stop him in the ninth round. The contest was halted at 2:45 of round nine, albeit prematurely.
Tonight’s live boxing results
- Junior middleweight contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) was on fire tonight, knocking out Luis Arias (20-4-1, 9 KOs) in the fifth round. Lubin dropped Arias hard. Although Arias appeared to get up in time to beat the count, the referee waived it off. The time of the stoppage was at 2:11 of round five. Lubin hadn’t fought since April of last year when Sebastian Fundora stopped him in the ninth round.
- Unbeaten IBF super flyweight champion Fernando Martinez (16-0, 9 KOs) looked great, stopping challenger Jade Bornea (18-1, 12 KOs) by an eleventh round knockout. The time of the stoppage was at 0:29 of round 11. Bornea suffered a cut earlobe in the ninth, which seemed to bother him.
- In a performance that showed that the former IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOss) is still a lethal puncher, he knocked out Colombian journeyman Wilner Soto (22-13, 12 KOs) in the fifth round. Ancajas dropped the 32-year-old Soto with a body shot, and the contest was stopped. Ancajas lost his two previous fights against Fernando Martinez last year, but tonight, the Filipino puncher looked much better, fighting in the 122-lb division.
- Light welterweight prospect Mickel Spencer (3-0, 2 KOs) and Lyle McFarlane (2-1, 1 KO) had their fight halted in the third after a clash of heads, resulting in no-decision.
- Burley Brooks (7-2-1, 5 KOs) defeated former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Truax (31-6-2, 19 KOs) by a ten round unanimous decision. The scores were 98-91, 96-93, and 96-93. Brooks was docked a point in the ninth round for spitting out his mouthpiece. Both fighters were exhausted in the championship rounds, with a lot of mauling going on. The 39-year-old Traux looked painfully slow tonight, showing signs of age. The power that Truax once had on his shots was largely gone due to his absence of hand-speed. For him to lose to this level of opponent is troubling and a clear sign that Truax needs to hang up the gloves.
WBC interim middleweight champion Carlos Adames faces Julian ‘J-Rock’ William in tonight’s headliner at The Armory in Minneapolis. Adames vs. Williams card starts on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Adames (22-1, 17 KOs) feels unbeatable at this stage of his career after beating Juan Macias Montiel a year ago and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, but he still has much to prove.
The former IBF & WBA junior middleweight champion ‘J-Rock’ Williams (28-3-1, 16 KO) will show whether Adames is as good as he believes himself to be. The time of the fight between Adames & Williams will likely be past 10 pm. ET.
This writer’s prediction for Adames vs. Williams is a knockout victory for the WBC interim champion Carlos. ‘J-Rock’ hasn’t looked the same since his war with Jarret Hurd in 2019. That fight clearly took a lot out of Williams, and he immediately lost his next contest against Jeison Rosario in 2020.
On the undercard, junior middleweight Erickson Lubin (24-2, 17 KO) will be looking to bounce back from a loss last year when he takes on Luis Arias (20-3-1, 9 KO) in a ten round fight
. This is a confidence builder type of fight for ‘The Hammer’ Lubin, who many thought should have been a world champion by now. He’s had bad luck, dealing with tough opposition in Jermell Charlo & Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora.
The ten-year professional Lubin, 27, took a terrible beating last year in April against Fundora that left his face looking badly swollen.
The contest had to be halted in the ninth round due to the condition of his face if Lubin hadn’t found success in dropping Fundora in the seventh.
IBF super flyweight champion Fernando Martinez (15-0, 8 KO) will be making his second defense of his title against unbeaten challenger Jade Bornea (18-0, 12 KO).
The Argentinian Martinez captured the IBF 115-lb title by beating Jerwin Ancajas by a twelve round unanimous decision last year in February. In their rematch last October, Martinez once again defeated Ancajas.
“What I see I’ll need is simply to get there at max condition. My concentration, the desire to win, and I feel I’m an unbeatable fighter,” said WBC interim middleweight champion Carlos Adames to Showtime Boxing.
“I know what he does well, and I know what he doesn’t do well. I know what I do well,” said Julian ‘J Rock’ Williams. “We have a game plan, and we’re going to stick to it, and we’re going to come out on top.
“Getting my hand raised and being the new WBC interim champion is going to be the next chapter to my story,” said Williams.
“I am ready, and I feel like I’m going to have my best fight,” said Adames.