The WBC has ordered 160-pound champion Carlos Adames to face the winner of the September 19 bout between Jesus Ramos Jr. and Meiirim Nursultanov.
Dan Rafael reported Monday that the WBC notified all teams of the ruling. Adames is barred from taking an intervening bout before meeting the winner.
That restriction rules out an immediate fight with Denzel Bentley. Adames recently called out the newly elevated WBO middleweight champion for a unification, a fight Bentley wanted as well.
Adames had also explored moving to super middleweight to challenge IBF champion Osleys Iglesias. Talks for that match stalled earlier this year, leaving Bentley as the immediate option at 160 pounds.
The sanctioning body has now taken that choice away.
Ramos has been chasing Adames and can secure the fight by defeating Nursultanov. The 25-year-old interim champion earned his position by beating Shane Mosley Jr. last year.
Nursultanov has plenty to gain beyond disrupting Ramos. Victory in September would send the Kazakh contender directly into a championship fight against Adames.
Adames last defended his WBC belt against Austin Williams in March, winning a unanimous decision. His next challenger will now come from the September 19 fight rather than one of the bigger-name alternatives he wanted.
A Bentley unification would have given Adames the opportunity to add a second middleweight championship belt.
The ruling prevents Adames from taking a voluntary defense while he waits. He must sit tight until Ramos and Nursultanov determine who gets him next.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/10 at 8:52 PM
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