Instead of complaining, he bit his tongue. Rather than bemoan his fate, he took on the work in front of him. And rather than kick a man while he’s down, Carlos Adames expressed gratitude.
Yes, the Dominican Republic product still needs to win a world-title fight to experience all the feels of being a world champion, but his behavior, gratitude and response to replacing the stripped Jermall Charlo as WBC middleweight champion has been something to behold.
In his first interview since WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced this week that he’s supplanting the troubled Charlo (33-0) with previously interim champion Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) as full champion, Adames told BoxingScene he’s incredibly “happy” at the promotion.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and I’m honored to have this title,” Adames said. “I’m going to work hard to defend it as many times as I can.”
Adames received the word from Sulaiman on the fighter’s 30th birthday, with Sulaiman paying particular attention to the manner Adames endured as Charlo struggled through injury and mental-health-triggered layoffs along with one flat title defense over a three-year inactive period before being arrested in Texas earlier this week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of a car crash involving his red Lamborghini.
“Winning the belt on my birthday made it all the more special. It was very important to be patient and positive … it opened up new doors and created new opportunities for me to take advantage of and build my career,” Adames said. “It’s not only important to train. It’s important to create special relationships with people.”
Adames is currently in training in Las Vegas, and while the two-belt unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) has engaged Adames to fight him even before this week’s events – with Alimkhanuly holding a July 13 date at The Palms in Las Vegas – Adames said his next foe has not been established by his promoter, Premier Boxing Championships.
“(Janibek) has mentioned my name and reached out to my people, but nothing has been set in stone yet and (PBC) has mentioned a couple names, and (soon) we’ll see where we’re at,” Adames said.
Given his position as a 160-pound champion slotted between the likes of the stacked 154-pound list of champions and contenders (including Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz, Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora and Israil Madrimov) and the 168-pound class that includes Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia, Adames said he is “absolutely very open minded” to seeking out those big names and big-money bouts.
“There’s no names I want to throw out there now, but I’m willing to fight anybody just as long as they give me the right amount of time to train and the right amount of money,” Adames said.
What he anticipates most is affirming how much he deserves the belt he’s been given through these circumstances by successfully defending it in the ring.
“That will be the best feeling, fully knowing I am the real champion,” he said. “My style won’t change. I’ll keep moving forward, pressing the action. But I know I will work harder to keep this as long as I can.”
Adames was moved to see newspapers in the Dominican hail him this week as he became the fourth fighter from the tiny baseball-loving nation to stand as a world boxing champion.
“It’s a big deal over there,” he said. “I am their world champion.”
