A Boxing Saturday From Riyadh to Carson: Carlos Adames Makes His Zuffa Debut as Anthony Olascuaga Defends His WBO Crown

Fight fans who want a full day of boxing on Saturday will get one, from a Saturday-morning card in Saudi Arabia to a Saturday-night show in Southern California. The headliners are a world champion stepping outside his division's title picture and a young contender trying to prove he belongs in the conversation.

The day opens at The Venue in Riyadh, where WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames headlines Zuffa Boxing 13 against Gerome Warburton of Wales. Combat Edge lists the start at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, and the card streams on Paramount+.

Adames, of the Dominican Republic, brings a 25-1-1 record with 18 knockouts, while Warburton is 18-2-2 with two knockouts, according to Fightmag. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds at a 165-pound catchweight, and Adames' belt is not on the line.

The matchup has drawn criticism inside the sport. Boxing News reported that Adames has not fought since a draw with Hamzah Sheeraz in March, and that his mandatory challenger, Meiirim Nursultanov of Kazakhstan, has been waiting nearly three years for his shot. The WBC ordered Adames to face Nursultanov less than a month before it approved this non-title catchweight bout instead, Boxing News reported.

Warburton should not be dismissed. He arrives on back-to-back decision wins over Nathan Heaney, though he was stopped in four rounds by Kieron Conway two fights before that, according to Boxing News. A champion coming off an eight-month layoff can be vulnerable, and a well-schooled underdog with nothing to lose is exactly the kind of opponent who makes a long night of it.

The undercard has real depth. Australia's Jason Moloney (29-4, 20 knockouts) meets Mexico's Andres Teran (19-2, 14 knockouts) at bantamweight, Fightmag reported. France's Bruno Surace (26-1-2) faces unbeaten Kamil Bednarek of Poland (17-0) at super middleweight, and middleweight Radzhab Butaev (16-2) takes on Colombia's Alexander Castro (15-2). Unbeaten lightweights Ivan Ortiz (13-0-2) and Dariial Kuchmenov (10-0) put their records on the line in an eight-rounder.

The action moves to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, that night, where Matchroom Boxing presents Diego Pacheco against Darius Fulghum on DAZN and TNT. Boxing News reported that the main card starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, with preliminary bouts beginning at 4:15 p.m. Eastern on DAZN.

Pacheco is still chasing the title shot he once set his sights on. Boxing News, in a brief compiled from Bad Left Hook's reporting, noted that he set a goal five years ago of winning a world title by age 22 and will turn 26 in four months. The same report said Pacheco has passed on purse bids and mandatory orders that would have matched him with Christian Mbili, Janibek Alimkhanuly and Hamzah Sheeraz, a record critics have pointed to as he continues to take other fights.

Fulghum comes in on a 1-1-1 stretch, with his lone win in that span over Yoanki Urrutia, Boxing News reported. For him, Saturday is a chance to turn a mixed run into a career-changing upset.

The co-feature carries the night's only world title. Anthony Olascuaga defends his WBO flyweight championship against Yuberjen Martinez, according to Boxing News. The card also includes Charlie Sheehy against Gabriel Flores and David Adeleye against Alexander Flores in 10-round bouts.

There is an old-fashioned lesson in both main events. Champions are remembered for the fights they take, not the ones they turn down, and the fans who buy the tickets and the subscriptions want to see the best face the best. That is not a knock on Warburton or Fulghum, who will both walk to the ring with a real chance to change their lives. It is a reminder that the sport is healthiest when its stars step up.

Adames can quiet the talk by looking sharp on Saturday morning and then signing to face his mandatory. Pacheco can do the same by winning convincingly and calling out one of the names on that list. Either way, it is a long day of boxing worth setting an alarm for, and we will have the results from both cards as they come in.