While the majority of eyes watching the headline bout of Zuffa Boxing 13 on Saturday will be focused on Carlos Adames, the WBC middleweight champion will have his gaze firmly focused on one man. That man is Wales’ Gerome Warburton (18-2-2), who comes into the fight off the back of an entertaining duology with English fan-favorite Nathan Heaney, and is threatening to derail Adames’ big plans for 2027.  Faced with bouts against Heaney, a man blessed with significant fan support, Warburton had to knuckle down and stick to his task, and he did so admirably across both bouts as he claimed back-to-back unanimous decision victories earlier this year.

 

It proved that Warburton had the nerve and the temperament for the big occasion, and led to his latest assignment, a non-title affair set for this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s a massive career leap for the 31-year-old southpaw, who worked his way up the British boxing ladder the old-school way, fighting in small-hall shows and building his experience before eventually earning himself a shot at the British and Commonwealth titles. 

 

Warburton fell short on that occasion, as he was stopped in four rounds by Kieron Conway at the Copper Box, but after bouncing back with a shutout win against journeyman opposition, he faced Heaney twice, beating him on the scorecards on both occasions. Now Warburton will face current WBC middleweight champion Adames in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 13 in undoubtedly the biggest fight of his career.

 

With the bout taking place at super middleweight, it means Adames’ 160-pound world title isn’t up for grabs on the night, but victory for Warburton would open the doors to some potentially massive opportunities in 2027, with a host of world-class middleweights already in Zuffa Boxing’s stable.

 

Nicknamed “The Breadmaker” – a nod to the famous UK bakers Warburton’s – Warburton knows that his victories over Heaney have placed him on the verge of something big, and he plans to crash the party with victory over Adames in Riyadh.