The WBC middleweight champion, Carlos Adames, posted on X: “No one beats me at 160 or 168,” days after his decision win over Hamzah Sheeraz on March 21.
That win pushed Adames right into a stronger position at 160, but it surely didn’t settle questions on how he stacks up against the opposite names circling each divisions.
Replies quickly changed into a roll call of opponents. Fans pointed to Canelo Alvarez, Janibek Alimkhanuly, Christian Mbilli, and Osleys Iglesias as immediate checks on that claim. Some called for a Sheeraz rematch as a substitute, arguing the primary fight didn’t close the door.
Adames is certainly talking an enormous game for somebody who hasn’t cleared out his own backyard. The “Ammo” Williams win was solid, but it surely didn’t answer the questions fans even have about him.
At 160, the skepticism is loud because he’s dismissing guys like Yoenli Hernandez. Hernandez is a large problem. Undefeated, highly ranked by the WBA and WBC, and searching like an actual threat. For Adames to say “he’s not on my level” sounds more like a strategic exit than actual confidence.
Then there’s Erislandy Lara. Even at his age, Lara is a master technician. The indisputable fact that they share a trainer (Ismael Salas) is the standard boxing excuse for why that fight doesn’t occur, but it surely leaves Adames in a spot where he’s holding a belt without actually proving he’s the most effective in the load class.
If he thinks 160 is a challenge, 168 is stuffed with difficult opposition. Jumping as much as face the highest names is a large risk. Osleys Iglesias & Christian Mbilli. They’re natural, heavy-handed super middleweights who thrive on the form of pressure Adames likes to make use of.
Then there’s Lester Martinez. He just fought to a draw with Mbilli (with many considering he won), proving he’s a legitimate elite threat at 168. Diego Pacheco & Canelo Alvarez are the elite of the elite. Pacheco has the peak and reach to maintain Adames at bay, and Canelo is, well, Canelo.
Adames is in a “prove it” phase. Boasting about cleansing out two divisions once you haven’t fought Yoenli or Janibek, and once you just went the space with a man Sheeraz knocked out, is why the fans are skeptical. Adames has the tools, but until he stops dismissing the highest fighter and truly signs the contract, it’s just talk.