Carlos Adames W12 Terrell Gausha... In his first fight since being elevated from interim title holder to full WBC middleweight champion in May, Dominican Carlos Adames, 159.2 lbs., based in Las Vegas, defended his title via unanimous decision against Terrell Gausha, 160 lbs., of Cleveland, OH, to open up the Davis-Martin PBC PPV on Prime Video from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In a bout that featured relatively low punch outputs from both combatants, Adames was intent on stalking his adversary, planting jabs to the body and launching his overhand right upstairs. Gausha was active in spurts and was successful when Adames laid back, particularly with flurries to the body. An extended rally by Adames in the eleventh round ended with a low blow, allowing Gausha time to recover. The final minute of the bout featured exciting exchanges. After twelve mostly lackluster rounds, the judges’ scorecards read 119-109, and 118-110 twice, all for Adames, now 24-1 (18 KOs). Losing his first world title shot, Gausha dropped to 24-4-1 (12 KOs).
“This win is very satisfying. To have defended my title the way I did, with the convincing decision, was what I wanted after a year away,” said Adames, who last fought on June 24, 2023.
“The knockout was in the making until I landed that accidental low blow. That was unfortunate. (Gausha) was able to compose himself and catch his breath after that. He was an uncomfortable, unique opponent to face.
“Carlos Adames is a tough hell-of-a-fighter and he has a strong punch, so I knew we had to be careful in the first few rounds,” said Gausha. “The game plan was to pick it up toward the end of the fight, which I thought I did, but obviously it wasn't enough. The scorecards were wide. I don't agree with them. I thought it was closer but, at the end of the day, he won the fight.”
Alberto Puello W12 Gary Antuanne Russell,... In a close and competitive battle of undefeated southpaws, Dominican Alberto Puello emerged victorious against Gary Antuanne Russell, 138.2 lbs., of Capitol Heights, MD, to seize the vacant WBC interim junior welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The bout was a tale of two halves. Russell began by darting in with power shots, while Puello stayed on the outside to box and counter. Russell, the 2016 Olympian, was the busier fighter throughout the first six frames, relentlessly attacking Puello with blazing fast combinations on the inside. [Puello is a former WBA title holder who was stripped for using prohibited performance enhancing substances].
Trained by Ismael Salas, Puello primarily fought from a defensive posture but threw effective and accurate combinations and quick counter shots when he found an opening. Having to go beyond the sixth round for only the second time in his career, Russell’s punch output seemed to dip during the later rounds. Puello, who lost a point in the ninth for excessive holding, continued to bank rounds with his fast counters, catching Russell flush with right hooks and overhand lefts in the eleventh. A borderline body shot dropped Russell to a knee in round twelve, however the referee ruled it low. The scorecards read 115-112 and 114-112 for Puello, and 118-109 Russell, to improve Puello’s record to 23-0 (10 KOs) via split decision. Taken the distance for the first time in his career, Russell is now 17-1 (17 KOs). While Puello is the WBC's interim titlist, Devin Haney remains the WBC world champion at 140 pounds.
“I got down on my knees and the first thing I did was thank God, and then I said, ‘I made it.' The weight barrier, the time away from my family, it was all worth it,” said Puello, following the upset victory.
“It feels great to be a champion, because this will mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life. It was the best I have ever fought in my life. The hard work being far away from my family finally paid off. Bring anybody on, I don’t care. I’m ready to face all comers.”
“It wasn't about what Puello did, it was about what I didn't do,” remarked a disappointed Russell. “I should have listened more and executed more. Like I always say, if I execute our game plan, it's a matter of fact that I'll get the victory. But I fell short.”